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BOOKLESS    LESSONS 

FOR  THE  TEACHER-MOTHER 


fs^' 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

NBW  YORK  •    BOSTON  •    CHICAGO  •   DALLAS 
ATLANTA   •    SAN  FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Limited 

LONDON  •    BOMBAY   •    CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA.  Lm 

TORONTO 


Bookless  Lessons 

for  the  Teacher-Mother 


BY 

ELLA  FRANCES  LYNCH 

Founder  of  the  National  League  of  Teacher- 
Mothers;  Founder  of  the  School  of  Individual  In- 
struction; Author  of  "Educating  the  Child  at  Home." 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

1922 
All  rights  reserved. 


X<7 


Copyright,  1922, 
By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  dectrotyped.     Published  October,  1922. 


PRINTED  IN   THE   UNITED   STATES   OF  AMERICA 


{" 


PREFACE 

"I  want  to  teach  my  children,  but  am  I  really  clever 
enough  to  be  a  teacher?" 

It  is  not  the  cleverest  teacher,  but  the  best  teacher, 
that  the  home  needs.  A  great  linguist  may  be  totally 
unable  to  make  others  learn  the  elements  of  a  language, 
a  great  musician  may  lack  every  single  qualification  as  a 
teacher  of  beginners.  It  is  not  merely  cleverness  or  a 
knack  of  arousing  enthusiasm  that  marks  the  good 
teacher,  not  high  scholarship  nor  commanding  intellect, 
but  patience  and  perseverance  in  making  children  do  the 
same  things  day  after  day,  exactly  so.  It  is  this  making 
that  is  the  backbone  of  education. 

The  child  who  is  sent  to  school  before  learning  to 
obey,  to  pay  attention,  to  apply  himself,  is  for  the  time 
being  unteachable.  No  school  can  entirely  repair  the 
damage  wrought  by  wrong  training  or  neglect  during 
the  first  seven  years  of  life. 

Here  is  a  test  of  the  mother's  ability  to  conduct  her 
own  kindergarten : 

Can  you  teach  your  children  the  Lord^s  Prayer? 

Can  you  teach  them  to  sew  on  buttons?  to  tie  a 
knot?  to  set  the  table?  to  use  a  broom?  to  draw  a 
straight  line? 

Can  you  teach  them  the  names  of  the  birds  that  visit 
your  yard?  the  trees  and  flowers  growing  near  yout 
home?  the  common  garden  vegetables?  the  six  basic 
colors? 

Can  you  teach  them  Mother  Goose  rhymes? 

V 

504i;47 


vi  PREFACE 

Can  you  fnake  them  think  of  the  question  asked  be- 
fore attempting  to  answer  it?  Can  you  make  them  see 
things  as  they  are  and  describe  exactly  what  they  see? 

If  you  can  do  these  things,  or  can  learn  to  do  them, 
you  can  also  learn  to  do  the  other  things  that  will  be 
required  of  the  Teacher-Mother. 

Thanks  are  due  to  the  editors  of  the  Country  Gentle- 
man, American  Motherhood,  America,  Holland's  Maga- 
zine, Munsey's,  McCalVs,  Normal  Instructor  and  Pri- 
mary Plans,  Journal  of  Education,  the  Child  (London), 
New  York  Times,  Philadelphia  Ledger,  and  numerous 
other  newspapers  and  periodicals  in  which  parts  of  this 
book  have  appeared.  Their  help  has  done  much  to 
make  productive  the  effort  to  reestablish  the  home  as 
the  greatest  educational  institution  in  the  world.  From 
the  "bush"  of  western  Canada  to  the  mining  camps  of 
the  Andes,  from  the  dry  lands  of  Rhodesia  to  the  in- 
land missions  of  the  Chinese  Empire,  from  New  York 
to  San  Francisco,  these  methods  are  being  used  by  busy 
mothers  who  must  make  teaching  link  arms  with  house- 
work. 

To  these  good  mothers  and  to  the  many  more  who 
are  daily  enrolling  in  the  League  of  Teacher-Mothers, 
this  book  is  affectionately  dedicated. 

Ella  Frances  Lynch. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  The  Teacher-Mother's  Opportunity     .  i 

II.  Education  or  Heredity 12 

III.  Psychology  and  Pedagogy 22 

IV.  Discipline •     •  35 

V.  Discipline:  Habits 58 

VI.  Training  Children  to  Observe      ...    84 

VII.  Opening  the  Mind's  Gateways     .     .     .   104 

VIII.    Play 131 

IX.    Work 163 

X.    Religious  Education 185 

XI.    Morals  and  Manners 204 

XII.  Language  Culture  in  the  Home   .     .     .231 

Index 261 


BOOKLESS  LESSONS  FOR  THE 
TEACHER-MOTHER 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  teacher-mother's  OPPORTUNITY 

For  Qvtry  child  born  into  the  world  his  work  is 
waiting,  humble,  perhaps,  but  a  part  of  the  great  plan ; 
with  each  is  born  his  special  gift,  to  be  developed  by 
education  into  that  lifework.  This  guidebook  is  writ- 
ten in  the  belief  that  within  each  child's  environment 
lies  the  means  of  educating  him,  and  that  with  the 
parents,  whether  rich  or  poor,  learned  or  simple,  rest 
the  privilege  and  responsibility  of  so  ordering  the  home 
that  it  becomes  for  their  children  the  greatest  educa- 
tional institution  in  the  world. 

To  do  this  it  is  necessary  for  the  parents  to  under- 
stand something  of  the  laws  of  human  nature,  just  as 
it  is  a  lawyer's  business  to  know  the  civil  law  and  a 
physician's  to  know  Nature's  laws  with  regard  to  the 
proper  functioning  of  the  human  body.  A  man  of 
sense  does  not  undertake  even  the  making  of  a  garden, 
the  building  of  a  house,  or  the  running  of  an  engine 
until  he  understands  at  least  the  elements  of  the  project 
and  has  studied  the  practices  of  others,  in  order  to 
ascertain  the  most  common  causes  of  success  and  fail- 
ure, for  only  a  wastrel  would  experiment  unnecessarily 
with  materials  that  could  not  be  duplicated.    Especially 


'2y''''Booktrss  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

must  we  be  on  our  guard  in  the  field  of  child  culture, 
where  the  materials  are  too  delicate  and  costly  and  the 
eflFects  too  far-reaching  for  rash  or  unguided  experi- 
mentation. A  false  blow  of  the  sculptor's  chisel  means 
merely  the  spoiling  of  a  block  of  marble,  whereas  the 
result  of  the  parents'  error  or  incompetence  may  mean 
the  spoiling  of  an  immortal  soul.  Men  and  women 
are  what  they  are  because  the  home  either  trained  them 
in  the  right  way  or  failed  in  that  responsibility.  The 
school  cannot  remodel  the  child  who  has  been  given  a 
wrong  start  at  home. 

This  book  is  a  calendar  of  certain  things  that  can 
and  should  be  done  in  training  children  before  it  is 
time  to  put  a  book  into  their  hands.  It  does  not  pro- 
fess to  include  everything  of  this  nature,  the  mother's 
intelligence  being  taken  for  granted.  The  list  of  ques- 
tions which  mothers  most  frequently  ask  me  has  served 
as  my  guide  as  to  the  points  emphasized.  No  attempt 
is  made  to  be  novel  or  highly  original,  but  only  to  keep 
the  road  open  in  the  right  direction,  so  that  it  may  be 
easier  for  parents  to  go  right  than  wrong. 

One  of  the  most  pernicious  blunders  of  modern  times 
is  putting  a  book  into  the  child's  hands  before  he  is 
ready  for  the  lessons  it  contains.  Children  who  have 
been  carefully  trained  .at  home  can  do  easily  in  two 
years  the  school  work  that  other  children  can  scarcely 
accomplish  in  three  or  four.  Such  lessons  as  are  out- 
lined here  make  the  children  so  eager  to  learn  that 
thereafter  method  is  of  little  consequence.  Hence  we 
shall  deal  briefly  and  informally  with  some  of  the  things 
parents  need  to  know  about  child  nature,  and  with 
simple,  unpretentious  ways  of  tilling,  planting,  and 
cultivating  these  little  gardens  of  Eden.     Throughout, 


The  Teacher 'Mother's  Opportunity  3 

we  shall  base  instruction  on  the  theory  that  after  birth 
education,  and  not  heredity,  is  the  controlling  factor, 
that  during  the  years  of  early  childhood  individual 
instruction  and  sane  discipline  are  the  best  and  indeed 
the  only  guarantee  of  lasting  success. 

We  shall  not  seek  to  turn  normal  children  into  abnor- 
mal ones  by  preparing  them  for  college  at  the  age  of 
ten,  but  instead  try  to  show  how  the  best  things  gained 
in  a  college  course,  such  as  the  ability  to  persist  in 
hard  work  until  the  assignment  is  mastered,  can  and 
should  be  acquired  before  the  age  of  ten.  I  have  no 
advice  to  offer  on  the  turning  of  children  into  prodi- 
gies. Personally,  I  do  not  want  to  live  with  a  prodigy. 
It  is  best  to  keep  close  to  Mother  Earth,  and  pray  that 
you  may  never  raise  a  prodigy  of  anything  but  hon- 
esty, faithfulness,  truth,  industry,  sober-mindedness, 
sympathetic  fellow-feeling  towards  fellow  men. 

I  do  not  want  mothers  to  take  as  their  ideal  the 
advertisement  of  a  certain  university:  "This  is  where 
we  take  a  bootblack  and  turn  him  into  a  doctor.'*  In 
the  universal  scheme,  a  good  bootblack,  if  that  be  his 
calling,  or  a  good  ditch-digger,  comes  as  near  to  ful- 
filling the  divine  intent  as  a  good  ambassador,  and  much 
nearer  than  a  poor  one.  As  Jeanie  Carlyle  asked  her- 
self :  ''After  all,  in  the  sight  of  the  Upper  Powers, 
what  is  the  mighty  difference  between  a  statue  of  Per- 
seus and  a  loaf  of  bread,  so  that  each  be  the  thing  one's 
hand  has  found  to  do?" 

Much  that  I  am  saying  is  said  from  the  angle  of  a 
teacher  who  has  struggled  with  "failures,"  and  tried 
to  find  out  why  bright  children  do  so  often  fail.  This 
is  one  generalization  I  shall  venture  to  make :  the  small- 
est percentage   of   school    failures   comes    from   old- 


4         Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

fashioned  homes  where  old-fashioned  discipUne  and 
training  prevail,  that  same  old  and  time-honored  disci- 
pline and  training  to  which  humanity  owes  the  greater 
portion  of  its  progress,  civilization,  and  culture. 

Some  of  the  facts  that  I  wish  to  bring  to  the  atten- 
tion of  parents  are  these :  There  is  no  such  thing  as  a 
born  criminal;  parents  cannot  escape  responsibility  by 
blaming  badness  on  a  remote  ancestor ;  all  children  are 
naughty,  but  no  child  is  bad;  all  children  will  be  good 
children  when  mothers  train  them  in  good  habits  from 
early  infancy;  failure  in  making  a  living  or  making 
life  worth  while  are  mainly  traceable  to  parental  igno- 
rance or  negligence;  knowledge  alone  is  not  a  safe- 
guard against  wrongdoing;  backwardness  among 
school  children  as  well  as  stupidity  among  grown  peo- 
ple are  often  the  result  of  wrong  home  training  or  the 
lack  of  any  sort  of  home  training;  a  large  proportion 
of  feeble-mindedness  is  the  result  of  neglect  or  mis- 
directed training  between  the  ages  of  three  and  seven ; 
genius  is  native  intelligence  supported  by  a  disciplined 
body  and  controlled  by  a  disciplined  mind;  the  ill- 
guided  home  is  responsible  for  most  of  the  existing 
depravity,  criminality,  and  feeble-mindedness,  so  that 
the  child  is  denied  an  approach  to  noble  self-control 
and  threatened  with  an  utter  absence  of  will  power  in 
the  exact  degree  to  which  his  home  life  is  disordered. 

It  is  as  unnatural  to  deny  careful  instruction  to  chil- 
dren, however  young,  as  it  would  be  to  withhold  from 
them  their  necessary  food,  and  this  care  of  the  child's 
mind  is  just  as  much  the  duty  of  parents  as  is  the  care 
of  his  soul  and  body.  Unfortunately,  the  term  educa- 
tion is  confused  with  schooling,  instruction,  and  book 
knowledge,  and  is  used  more  often  in  a  wrong  than  in 


The  Teacher-Mother's  Opportunity  5 

the  right  sense,  a  confusion  for  which  schoolmen  are 
probably  chiefly  to  blame.  Note  the  present  general 
use  of  the  word  ''educator''  instead  of  instructor,  pro- 
fessor, superintendent,  teacher.  We  have  commission- 
ers of  education,  boards  of  education,  departments  of 
education,  when  the  correct  term  is  "public  instruc- 
tion." I  venture  to  assert  that  this  misuse  of  the  word 
has  a  wider  influence  for  evil  than  any  similar  verbal 
blunder  of  the  age.  The  school  never  was  and  never 
can  be  the  chief  factor  in  human  education,  and  to 
rely  upon  it  as  such  is  one  of  the  most  far-reaching 
errors  of  the  modern  social  system,  for  schooling,  or 
any  other  form  of  instruction  outside  the  home,  is 
only  one  part  of  education.  One  might  as  well  confuse 
grafting  with  orchardry,  potato-peeling  with  cooking 
a  dinner. 

Many  of  our  great  men  and  women  were  either 
educated  without  schooling,  or  else  were  school  fail- 
ures. Most  of  the  present  generation  are  being  over- 
schooled  and  undereducated.  Now  the  parents  are  the 
true  educators,  whereas  the  teachers  are  the  teachers. 
The  home  is  the  only  institution  that  is  in  itself  strictly 
an  educational  institution.  The  church  and  the  school 
can  each  help,  but  the  home  and  the  home  only  can 
educate. 

It  is  likely  that  mothers  would  approach  the  task  of 
child-training  with  more  confidence  if  schoolmen  would 
only  express  themselves  in  plain  language,  such  as  the 
great  poets  and  philosophers  used  when  they  talked  of 
lovely  things,  like  childhood,  and  sunsets,  and  storms 
at  sea.  Socrates,  the  father  of  logic,  could  use  words 
that  were  simple  enough  for  a  young  child  to  read  and 
spell,  even  when  he  was  setting  traps  for  the  vain- 


6         Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

glorious  wise  ones  of  Athens,  but  peep  into  a  modern 
book  on  the  training  of  children  and  you  meet  a 
bristling  array  of  Greek  derivatives  that  seem  to  say: 
"Thus  far,  and  no  farther.  Confine  your  motherly 
activities  to  child- feeding  and  neck- washing.  Leave 
psychology  to  the  pedagogues.'' 

One  of  our  psychologists,  in  the  desire  to  let  the 
public  know  what  the  inside  of  a  child's  head  is  like, 
had  constructed  a  whole  book  out  of  phrases  only  a 
tiegree  less  obscure  and  forbidding  than  the  sacred 
writings  on  an  Egyptian  obelisk.  At  the  family  dinner 
table  he  expressed  his  gratification  that  his  work  was 
now  being  translated  into  Chinese,  whereupon  his  son 
asked :  "Say,  dad,  why  don't  you  get  some  one  to  trans- 
late it  into  English?"  Strip  from  psychology  its  deter- 
ring mask  by  calling  it  knowledge  of  human  nature  and 
ask  yourself  how  much  the  mother  of  a  growing  family 
is  likely  to  learn  about  this  subject  from  a  psychologist 
who  studies  children  as  he  would  study  grasshoppers, 
scientifically  analyzing,  introspecting,  hunting  reflexes, 
but  who  never  ministers  to  them  at  feeding  and  neck- 
washing  time,  or  hears  them  say  their  little  prayers,  or 
catches  them  lying  to  him  innocently,  clumsily,  scien- 
tifically, according  to  the  degree  of  preparedness.  What 
mother,  even  of  the  brute  creation,  would  not  know 
better  than  to  test  the  effect  of  fear  on  a  young  child 
by  holding  her  baby  out  of  a  second-story  window,  as 
did  one  of  our  psychologists?  It  is  noteworthy  that 
the  experiment  was  a  success,  for  the  child  died  of 
fright. 

But  to  translate  the  word  psychology  by  the  phrase 
"knowledge  of  human  nature"  is  to  exalt  the  subject 
overmuch,   for  it  deals  with  only  a  part  of  human 


The  Teacher-Mother's  Opportunity  7 

nature,  the  mind,  while  education  is  a  battle  for  the 
soul  of  the  child.  In  our  public  schools  we  assume  that 
the  pupil  consists  only  of  mind  and  body,  made  in 
the  image  and  likeness  of  a  grade  model,  souls  being 
popularly  ignored,  probably  because  the  schoolmen 
have  not  succeeded  in  reducing  them  to  a  common 
denominator. 

So  much  for  modern  psychology  in  its  negative 
aspect.  On  the  positive  side  matters  are  even  worse, 
for  the  sound,  sane  teachings  of  earlier  days  have  been 
so  misconstrued,  distorted,  or  altogether  rejected,  that 
we  now  have  a  body  of  literature  that  is  ostensibly 
based  on  the  study  of  childhood,  yet  fits  no  race  of 
beings,  at  least  human  beings,  that  inhabit  the  earth 
at  the  present  time.  Its  strange,  wild  theories  seem  to 
have  originated  from  the  process  of  imagining  what 
children  like  best  to  do  and  writing  these  things  out, 
averring  them  to  be  the  science  of  exactly  what  ought 
to  be  done.  "Find  out  what  they  want  to  do  and  then 
let  them  do  it,"  has  taken  the  place  of,  "Find  out  what 
they  can  do  and  then  make  them  do  it.*' 

Children  do  not  like  to  work,  therefore  they  should 
be  taught  through  play.  Children  take  an  interest  in 
things  that  interest  them,  therefore  never  require  chil- 
dren to  do  anything  that  does  not  interest  them,  because 
if  they  are  interested  they  will  do  it  anyhow.  Ameri- 
can children  will  not  be  coerced,  they  show  their  native 
independence  by  demanding  their  own  way;  therefore 
never  say  "Don't"  or  "Must"  to  an  American  child. 
Divert  him;  if  he  bites  or  kicks  his  mother,  she  should 
offer  him  instead  a  ball  to  kick  or  a  raisin  to  bite, 
explaining  to  him  that  mother  will  not  love  him  if  he 
bites  or  kicks.    Does  it  require  a  pedagogue  to  under- 


8         Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

stand  that  following  his  natural  inclinations  reduces 
man  to  the  level  of  the  brute? 

It  is  generally  admitted  that  the  right  education  of 
children  is  the  most  important  business  in  the  world, 
yet  the  word  education  has  never  even  been  satisfac- 
torily defined.  All  good  parents,  however,  are  agreed 
that  they  would  like  their  children  trained  to  be  upright, 
faithful,  prompt,  precise,  orderly,  obedient,  self -con- 
trolled ;  ready  to  acknowledge  their  mistakes,  to  respect 
the  rights  and  property  of  their  neighbor,  to  adapt 
themselves  to  actual  conditions,  to  work  without  waste 
of  time  and  effort.  They  would  set  a  high  valuation  on 
reverence  and  humility.  They  would  like  to  see  labor 
and  duty  become  the  habit  of  life,  setting  so  easily  on 
the  wearer  that  there  is  no  newness  nor  harshness  in 
physical  exertion,  mental  effort,  or  moral  obligation. 
Picture  to  yourself  the  man  or  woman  imbued  with 
these  old-fashioned  virtues  and  you  visualize  the  say- 
ing: "There  were  giants  In  those  days."  Who  would 
be  so  rash  as  to  apply  the  adjectives  *' ignorant,"  "uned- 
ucated," to  one  of  these,  even  though  he  were  un- 
schooled? Who  would  have  the  audacity  to  assert 
that  schools  ever  gave  or  can  give  this  homespun 
training  ? 

Now,  if  we  add  to  the  foregoing  qualifications  the 
instruction  that  opens  the  various  gates  of  the  mind, 
sharpens  the  desire  for  knowledge,  and  leads  to  the 
love  of  good  books,  it  would  scarcely  be  necessary  to 
instruct  the  young  learner  even  in  the  elements  of 
reading  or  spelling  or  writing  or  arithmetic,  so  well- 
equipped  is  he  to  complete  his  education  for  himself 
and  by  his  own  efforts.  Such  a  boy  or  girl  is  educated 
in  the  fullest,  finest  sense  of  the  word,  and  such  educa- 


The  Teacher-Mo  therms  Opportunity  g 

tion  and  instruction  can  be  carried  on  by  any  earnest, 
conscientious  mother  who  is  able  to  read  this  book. 
The  gospels  were  not  set  beyond  the  understanding  of 
the  people  of  plain  speech,  and  there  is  nothing  in  true 
teaching  or  sound  method  that  cannot  be  stated  in 
language  equally  plain  and  direct. 

To  accomplish  these  things,  the  teacher-mother's 
opportunities  for  self-cultivation  need  not  have  been 
abundant;  indeed  her  book-instruction  need  not  have 
taken  her  beyond  the  primary  grades.  A  little  learning 
judiciously  used  drives  home  more  surely  than  does 
great  learning  which  is  unsupported  by  sympathetic 
understanding  of  the  child's  needs.  The  mother  need 
not  be  familiar  with  the  customs  and  conventionalities 
of  the  fashionable  world  in  order  to  make  her  children 
well-mannered  and  thoughtful  of  others.  She  need 
be  neither  artist  nor  scientist  in  order  to  awaken  in 
her  children  a  love  of  art  and  science.  She  need  be 
neither  grammarian  nor  logician  in  order  to  lay  the 
foundations  for  her  children's  mastery  of  English  and 
logic.  A  whetstone  will  not  cut  the  grass,  but  it  will 
put  an  edge  on  the  scythe  that  will  cut  the  grass. 

The  mother's  chief  strength  lies  in  her  moral  nature. 
Her  very  presence  and  example  must  exercise  a  con- 
stantly stimulating  and  elevating  influence.  Such  a 
mother,  even  if  no  great  aid  to  her  children  in  the 
acquisition  of  school  subjects,  is  the  ideal  mother.  Give 
us  such  mothers,  and  our  nation  will  indeed  be  the 
leading  nation  of  the  world.  I  wonder  whether  teacher- 
mothers  fully  realize  the  sublimity  of  this,  their  exalted 
destiny. 

Is  there  a  single  one  among  my  readers  who  can 
rightly  claim  that  her  children  are  shut  out  by  indi- 


JO       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

gence,  unfavorable  location,  or  similar  disadvantage 
from  all  that  is  for  their  spiritual,  physical,  and  mental 
welfare?  From  the  humblest  homes  go  forth  the 
heroes;  from  keeping  his  father's  sheep,  David  was 
called  to  rule  over  Israel.  Often  it  is  the  "unconsidered 
trifles,"  the  things  we  overlook  because  they  are  so 
deadly  commonplace,  that  play  the  most  important  part 
in  early  education.  An  artist  who  had  completed  a 
magnificent  stained-glass  window  for  a  famous  cathe- 
dral was  chagrined  to  find  that  his  apprentice  had  fash- 
ioned one  still  more  beautiful  from  the  shards  rejected 
by  his  master.  Child-training  is  an  art,  and  the  good 
mother  is  the  greatest  of  earthly  artists.  In  each  well- 
ordered  home  her  materials,  her  models,  her  inspiration 
are  at  hand,  ready  for  use.  Surely  it  was  for  her  that 
Longfellow  intended  the  lines : 

"That  is  best  which  lieth  nearest ; 
Shape  from  that  thy  work  of  art." 

Alfalfa  is  a  difficult  crop  to  establish,  as  it  needs  a 
special  kind  of  fertilizer  to  enable  the  roots  to  draw 
their  nourishment  from  the  ground  and  air,  but  once 
it  gets  a  start  and  finds  itself  at  home  in  the  new  soil, 
it  thrives  and  becomes  not  only  a  most  valuable  and 
abundant  crop  but  also  a  permanent  one,  and  moreover 
the  soil  becomes  fourfold  richer  for  its  having  grown 
therein.  What  this  fertilizing  principle  does  to  alfalfa, 
faith  and  courage  do  for  the  mother.  If  she  will  take 
the  lesson  of  this  phenomenon  to  heart  and  instead  of 
pleading  lack  of  time,  knowledge,  patience,  culture, 
energy,  self-confidence,  servants,  experience,  inventive- 
ness, just  leave  undone  some  of  the  things  she  now 


The  Teacher-Mother's  Opportunity  ii 

thinks  so  important  and  take  that  time  to  teach  her 
children,  she  will  find  that  instead  of  being  stupid, 
naughty,  lazy,  disobedient,  or  "nervous,"  they  are  really 
very  bright  and  sweet  and  lovable,  and  that  her  efforts 
in  this  direction  bring  their  daily  and  hourly  reward. 

This  it  is  which  makes  so  fascinating  the  work  of 
the  real  educators,  the  parents — the  realization  that 
teaching  young  children  is  the  most  interesting  of  all 
intellectual  pursuits,  being  one  of  the  compensations  for 
their  many  sacrifices.  Some  prefer  gardening  or  lab- 
oratory experimentation  or  sailing  unfamiliar  seas,  or 
the  reading,  writing,  or  translating  of  books,  but  in 
child-training  are  to  be  found  united  the  bewitchments 
of  all  these  occupations,  the  surprises  of  unlooked-for 
reactions,  the  glimpses  of  Utmost  Isles,  the  frankness 
and  freshness  that  your  mere  grown-up  author  strives 
vainly  to  regain. 

But  if  at  times  your  patience  in  teaching  your  chil- 
dren should  seem  completely  exhausted  and  the  pros- 
pects of  ultimate  success  none  too  bright,  the  thought 
of  how  really  noble  and  indispensable  your  task  is 
ought  to  brace  you  up.  Many  a  great  man  is  extolled 
in  history's  pages  whose  deeds  brought  to  mankind 
more  unhappiness  than  good.  Not  to  Alexander,  nor 
Caesar,  nor  Napoleon  could  be  attributed  a  service  as 
great  as  to  the  home  that  sends  into  the  world  a  family 
of  well-trained  children  to  fight  and  overcome  evil. 


CHAPTER  II 

EDUCATION  OR  HEREDITY 

Every  normal  child  has  a  full  set  of  faculties;  in 
each  are  the  same  fundamental  nature,  the  same  reason 
and  will,  the  same  endowment  for  his  destined  work. 
This  does  not  in  the  least  mean  a  sameness  or  equality 
of  mind  or  soul  such  as  permits  each  to  become  a  St. 
Francis  or  a  Shakespeare,  which  would  be  no  more 
possible  than  desirable.  But  it  does  mean  that  all 
normal  human  beings  are  in  one  way  or  another  equally 
gifted  for  useful,  honorable,  and  successful  careers, 
whether  the  work  for  which  they  were  called  to  earth 
be  with  head  or  hand,  and  that  it  is  our  most  sacred 
duty  to  find  out  what  each  child  can  do  and  then  to 
educate  him  accordingly.  The  child  comes  into  the 
world  with  dormant  possibilities  for  every  conceivable 
degree  of  good  and  bad,  without  being  himself  either 
virtuous  or  vicious.  Whether  he  is  to  become  a  mes- 
senger of  light  or  of  darkness  depends  very  largely 
upon  his  environment — that  is,  his  education,  for  every- 
thing that  influences  body,  mind,  or  soul,  becomes  by 
that  very  fact  an  element  in  education. 

Mere  brains  are  relatively  common  possessions,  Na- 
ture being  here  as  elsewhere  often  recklessly  profuse. 
She  does  not  grow  discouraged,  even  though,  as  is 
likely,  not  one  brain  in  ten  millions  is  developed  to  its 
full  capacity,  but  paradoxically  and  shrewdly  enough, 
she  is  most  lavish  where  she  seems  most  niggardly, 

12 


^  Education  or  Heredity  13 

most  sparing  where  she  seems  most  generous.  In  this 
seeming  contradiction  may  be  recognized  the  divine 
"equality  of  opportunity,"  for  as  each  has  the  advan- 
tage of  his  special  gift,  so  he  has  the  positive  drawbacks 
of  that  advantage — ^and  the  advantages  of  what  are 
carelessly  regarded  as  drawbacks,  a  fact  which  is  illus- 
trated in  every  schoolroom.  In  the  case  of  the  infant 
prodigy  there  is  danger  that  the  overdeveloped  brain 
will  cheat  the  body,  that  book-greediness  will  displace 
healthy  interest  in  his  fellow  beings,  practical  affairs, 
and  the  world  of  living  nature.  He  needs  steady  guid- 
ance and  wise  control  to  make  him  an  educated  man 
and  not  a  mere  unbalanced  scholar.  Conversely,  the 
child  of  slow  development,  whose  school  career  is  a 
daily  mortification  of  the  spirit,  because  he  is  out- 
stripped and  derided  by  his  classmates,  needs  steadying 
encouragement  to  save  him  from  falling  a  victim  to 
the  notion  of  foredoomed  failure.  Every  psychologist 
knows  that  this  child's  gifts  may  be  of  the  slow- 
growing,  long-lived,  mighty  kind,  that  thrive  in  a 
forest  and  wither  in  a  flower-pot,  and  that  he  may  be 
no  more  adjustable  to  the  insignificant,  brain-padding 
performances  of  the  classroom  than  the  elephant  is  to 
supremacy  in  cross-stitch.  He  naturally  and  properly 
leaves  kindergarten  stunts  for  little  minds. 

Other  schoolroom  varieties  are  the  child  who  memo- 
rizes with  great  readiness  and  therefore  easily  suc- 
cumbs to  the  fallacy  that  knowledge  is  education  and 
that  his  way  through  life  will  consequently  be  smooth; 
the  child  with  splendid  physical  endowments,  who  needs 
wise  instruction  and  unremitting  discipline  to  save  him 
from  contentment  with  mere  animal  f rolicsomeness ; 
and  the  child  in  whom  only  the  unadorned,  com- 


14       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

mon-sense-heel-and-toe  qualities  are  discernible,  who, 
whether  we  like  it  or  not,  is  harmed  least  by  our  school- 
men's efforts  to  standardize  the  goose  and  the  eagle. 
This  last  is  least  likely  to  mismanage  his  life. 

In  every  generation  society  is  burdened  with  a  vast 
army  of  derelicts  whose  number  could  undoubtedly 
have  been  appreciably  reduced  by  education.  The  great 
majority  of  these  unfortunates  could  have  been  trained 
into  becoming  safe  and  useful,  even  though  not  bril- 
liant, members  of  society.  If  their  torrential  energies 
had  been  safely  directed,  a  few  might  well  have  become 
literary  geniuses,  pioneers  of  scientific  investigation, 
or  leaders  of  men.  We  have  all  met  many  backward, 
subnormal,  atypical,  or  literally  feeble-minded  children, 
in  whom  the  trouble  could  be  traced  to  lack  of  early 
discipline. 

In  a  study  of  normal  and  retarded  children  recently 
made  in  public  schools,  the  following  explanations  of 
certain  retarded  cases  were  given  by  the  investigator: 
(i)  Child  has  nose  and  throat  trouble,  hindering  ad- 
vancement; (2)  child  is  nervous  and  excitable;  (3) 
child  is  allowed  to  go  to  moving  pictures  at  night; 
(4)  child  is  sneaking,  sullen,  and  selfish.  A  compar- 
ison of  the  reports  showed  that  the  normal  and  success- 
ful pupils  came  from  good  homes  and  had  parents  who 
were  actively  interested  in  their  progress  at  school  and 
their  education  at  home. 

It  is  usual  and  most  convenient  to  speak  of  "mental 
defectives"  as  of  poor  human  beings  who  are  handi- 
capped from  birth  by  an  organic  deficiency  of  brains, 
but  many  authorities  on  the  subject  do  not  so  regard 
them,  declaring  that  in  many  cases  mental  deficiency  is 
due  to  parental  neglect  during  the  early   formative 


Education  or  Heredity  15 

period  of  the  afflicted  individual.  Moreover,  the  indi- 
vidual's value  to  the  community  cannot  be  standardized 
by  intelligence  alone,  for  the  ability  to  acquire  infor- 
mation and  knowledge  and  to  understand  is  only  one 
of  the  qualities  of  the  mind,  although  the  most  impor- 
tant single  mental  faculty,  being  partly  inherited,  and 
partly  acquired  through  education,  experience,  and 
schooling.  Still,  considered  by  itself,  it  does  not  ren- 
der its  possessor  of  any  great  worth  to  the  community, 
but  must  be  accompanied,  supported,  and  controlled  by 
certain  humbler  but  intrinsic  and  normally  cultivable 
characteristics.  Lack  of  development  of  the  will  and 
the  emotions  results  in  a  lack  of  balance  that  cannot 
be  remedied  by  the  individual's  capacity  for  acquiring 
and  storing  mere  formal  and  worldly  knowledge.  For 
that  matter,  the  merely  intelligently  groomed  man  who 
lacks  moral  or  mental  stability  is  wrong-minded,  and 
should  be  regarded  as  a  social  menace  and  a  fit  object 
for  segregation. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  commonplace  that  there 
are  many  individuals  who  could  not  pass  an  ordinary 
intelligence  test  because  of  lack  of  vocabulary,  slow- 
ness of  comprehension,  or  poverty  of  information,  who 
yet  possess  common  sense,  the  shrewdness  to  learn 
through  their  own  experience,  and  the  working  ability 
that  enables  them  to  be  self-supporting.  Discipline  of 
one  kind  or  another,  either  deliberate  or  involuntary, 
has  drilled  them  in  control  of  their  emotions,  the  exer- 
cise of  will  power,  stability,  and  trustworthiness,  all 
of  which  combined  have  produced  law-abiding  citizens 
who  are  useful  followers,  subordinates,  and  helpers  in 
the  community. 

I  asked  a  woman  of  wide  experience  in  the  examina- 


i6       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher -Mother 

tion  of  mental  defectives,  whether  there  is  a  greater 
proportion  of  feeble-mindedness  among  the  rich  or 
the  poor,  and  her  reply  was  that  they  are  in  about  the 
same  proportion,  but  that  owing  to  the  difference  in 
treatment,  the  rich  seem  to  be  the  more  heavily  afflicted. 
"These  unfortunate  children,"  she  said,  "are  tended 
hand  and  foot.  Though  their  only  salvation  is  being 
made  to  help  themselves,  everything  is  done  for  them, 
so  that  their  incapacity  becomes  more  and  more  pro- 
nounced, while  among  the  poor  such  unfortunates  have 
the  advantage  of  the  discipline  of  circumstances.  Being 
obliged  to  do  things  for  themselves,  their  abnormal- 
ity becomes  less  and  less,  in  reality  as  well  as  in 
appearance." 

The  fact  that  a  child  appears  hopelessly  dull  or  lack- 
ing in  intelligence  is  all  too  often  the  pretext  for  par- 
ents neglecting  his  training.  A  child  may  have  a 
discoverable  handicap,  like  weak  sight  or  hearing  or 
an  obstruction  to  breathing  or  some  other  physical 
difficulty,  which  retards  advancement  along  accus- 
tomed lines,  but  it  is  too  late  to  give  the  most  essential 
training  before  any  living  expert  can  pronounce  him 
irremediably  defective  or  feeble-minded.  Many  chil- 
dren who  appear  mentally  deficient  are  in  reality  highly 
gifted  in  ways  that  we  fail  to  recognize  or  rightly  ap- 
praise. We  could  list  in  this  class  many  notable  men 
and  women  who  were  considered  impenetrably  stupid 
or  hopelessly  backward,  when  subjected  to  school  meas- 
urements wherein  the  examiners  forgot,  or  more  likely 
had  never  learned,  that  it  takes  longer  to  sprout  an 
acorn  than  a  pumpkin  seed. 

Children  who  come  into  the  world  with  underdevel- 
oped bodies  are  often  cared  for  in  such  a  way  that  they 


Education  or  Heredity  ij 

gain  health  and  strength.  It  is  certainly  a  reasonable 
argument  that  mental  qualities,  which  in  early  child- 
hood are  at  best  embryonic,  should  continue  so  for  a 
longer  or  shorter  time.  A  case  of  retarded  develop- 
ment will  become  permanent  unless  special  attention  is 
paid  to  it.  Just  as  the  physically  weak  infant  lacks  the 
force  to  develop  without  special  care  and  nurture,  so 
the  mentally  weak  lacks  the  force  to  develop  without 
special  care  and  training. 

It  is,  of  course,  more  pleasurable  to  teach  children 
who  respond  quickly  and  showily  to  our  efforts,  but 
they  who  labor  patiently,  intelligently,  and  persistently 
to  awaken  the  soul  and  mind  of  the  little  slow-witted 
backward  child  will  be  rewarded  in  due  season  with  an 
unfolding  of  that  soul  and  intellect  as  marvelous  as  the 
blossoming  of  the  fragrant  water-lily  out  of  the  dull 
brown  bud  that  grew  up  from  the  slime. 

But  if,  after  judicious  and  long-continued  training, 
we  are  forced  to  accept  hopeless  subnormality  as  a  fact, 
we  should  submit  to  the  conditions  imposed  and  seek 
to  develop  whatever  minor  abilities  the  child  does  pos- 
sess, thus  fitting  him  for  a  useful,  busy,  and  therefore 
moderately  happy  life,  even  with  limited  intellectual 
resources.  The  parents  may  well  find  their  solace  in 
the  indisputable  argument  that  at  the  worst  misfortune 
is  relative  and  that  unintelligence  is  less  deplorable  and 
dangerous  than  keenness  of  mind  with  badness  of 
heart,  for  as  Macaulay  says,  "Nine-tenths  of  the  calami- 
ties which  have  befallen  the  human  race  have  had  no 
other  origin  than  the  union  of  high  intelligence  with 
low  desires."  Let  us  accept  as  preferable  the  imion  of 
low  intelligence  with  high  desires. 

Here  we  recall  a  tale  of  the  Middle  Ages,  about  the 


i8       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher -Mother 

poor  natural  who  sorrowed  bitterly  because  he  alone 
could  find  no  way  to  adore  his  Lord.  The  monks  who 
housed  him  could  pray,  or  preach,  or  copy  the  Bible, 
or  make  the  garden,  but  he,  as  fervent  in  his  piety  as 
the  best  of  them,  could  do  none  of  these  things,  nor 
could  he  even  remember  from  day  to  day  the  shortest 
prayer.  He  could  not  learn  to  distinguish  weed  from 
pulse.  Out  of  his  yearnings  came  light :  how  to  trans- 
late his  one  poor  talent  into  prayer.  When  next  the 
prior  came  into  the  church,  he  was  astonished  at  sight 
of  the  poor  simpleton  turning  somersaults  before  the 
high  altar.  "I  can  pray,  I  can  pray,"  was  his  joyful 
cry.  And  the  wise  monks  did  not  interfere  with  his 
devotion. 

Contrast  this  with  the  picture  of  a  high  school  senior 
in  white  flannels,  upholding  himself  by  a  rustic  gate 
one  fine  summer  morning,  exchanging  chit-chat  with 
a  group  of  girls.  Their  father  came  out  and  said :  "I 
see  your  grandmother  over  on  the  hillside  hoeing  her 
potatoes.  Why  don't  you  do  that  for  her  and  then 
come  back  and  take  supper  with  us?"  The  cub  lifted 
his  chin  like  the  hero  of  a  collar  advertisement  and 
drawled  the  deathless  phrase :  '*Me  hoe  potatoes  ?  No, 
never !" 

Conscientious  parents  sometimes  let  sickly  children 
run  wild  in  the  mistaken  belief  that  strict  discipline 
would  hinder  recovery.  Now  humoring  children  is  as 
destructive  to  the  body  as  to  the  mind.  A  doctor  who 
examined  one  thousand  children  from  homes  where 
there  was  but  one  child,  and  one  thousand  from  homes 
with  four  or  more  children,  found  that  of  the  former, 
eleven  per  cent  and  of  the  latter  sixty-nine  per  cent 
were  physically  normal.    The  ills  of  the  former  were 


Education  or  Heredity  19 

chiefly  due  to  pampering  and  generally  took  the  form 
of  "nervousness"  and  disturbances  of  the  digestive 
tract.  In  the  interdependence  of  mind  and  body,  mind 
is  the  stronger  element,  and  a  well-ordered  mind  is  not 
necessarily  excluded  from  a  feeble  body,  as  can  be 
proved  by  numerous  examples  in  history,  such  as  Julius 
Caesar,  William  of  Orange,  Frederick  the  Great,  Pope, 
Scott,  and  many  others. 

Criminals  are  not  born,  but  made,  and  neither  morals 
nor  manners  are  hereditary.  What  appears  like  evil 
inheritance  is  usually  habit  acquired  through  bad  exam- 
ple or  parental  negligence  at  so  early  an  age  that  it  has 
all  the  outward  signs  of  congenital  depravity.  We  are 
never  too  young  to  learn.  A  mother  apologizes  for  her 
seven-year-old's  tobacco-chewing  by  saying  that  he 
inherited  the  taste.  When  that  child  was  two  years 
old  he  would  say:  "See  daddy,"  stick  his  tongue  into 
his  cheek  in  imitation  of  his  father's  quid,  then  trot 
to  the  door  and  vigorously  expectorate.  Another 
seven-year-old,  who  harnesses  and  drives  the  horses,  is 
known  as  a  born  horseman.  When  he  was  scarcely  a 
year  old  his  father  would  take  him  on  his  knee  when 
driving  and  let  him  hold  the  reins.  From  the  time 
when  he  began  to  walk  the  child's  favorite  "make- 
believe"  was  to  get  hold  of  a  rope,  a  strap,  or  his  moth- 
er's apron-strings  and  "drive  horsey."  Does  anyone 
believe  that  this  boy  would  be  a  "born  horseman"  if  he 
had  never  ridden  on  anything  but  a  street-car? 

Parents  cannot  escape  responsibility  by  blaming  a 
child's  naughtiness  on  some  ancestor,  unless  that  ances- 
tor has  lived  recently  enough  to  corrupt  the  child  by 
living  example.  Right  and  wrong  are  not  matters  of 
instinct,  but  have  to  be  learned.     Righteousness  does 


20       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-M other 

not  come  by  nature  any  more  than  reading  or  writing. 
The  blame  for  the  boy  who  goes  wrong  rests  largely 
with  the  parents  who,  through  ignorance  or  negligence, 
have  failed  to  train  him  aright  during  the  habit- form- 
ing days  of  early  childhood. 

Perhaps  the  foregoing  free  dissertation  may  be 
summed  up  in  this  wise:  Fitness  of  the  individual  to 
hold  his  place  in  society  depends  only  in  a  degree  upon 
native  intelligence.  Where  intelligence  is  counterbal- 
anced by  lack  of  good  moral  fiber  and  of  right  habits, 
the  result  should  properly  be  called  feeble-mindedness, 
intelligence  having  then  only  a  negligible  value.  Army 
examinations  showed  that  many  who  tested  "feeble- 
minded" were  functioning  normally  in  society;  and 
that,  on  the  other  hand,  many  who  ranked  well  in  tests 
of  educational  capacity  were  valueless  to  the  community 
because  of  temperamental  unfitness. 

The  causes  of  failure  in  life  are  nearly  all  more  or 
less  the  outcome  of  a  domestic  system  that  failed  the 
child  during  the  early  and  most  impressionable  years, 
before  schooling  should  begin.  These  causes  are  idle- 
ness, carelessness,  impulsiveness,  mental  confusion,  and 
inability  to  sustain  attention,  to  prolong  effort,  to 
profit  by  past  mistakes  of  self  or  others.  These  causes 
of  failure  are  the  result  of  habits  formed  and  set  before 
the  age  of  seven.  Forethought,  prudence,  readiness  to 
meet  an  emergency  are  of  no  less  value  than  capacity 
for  learning.  It  is,  therefore,  a  justifiable  conclusion 
that  lack  of  discipline  leaves  the  individual  lacking  in 
those  qualities  without  which  intelligence  is  not  only 
worthless  but  a  menace  and  that,  after  all,  "brains" 
are  not  such  a  valuable  possession  as  are  temperamental 
balance,    self-control,   trustworthiness,    purposiveness, 


Education  or  Heredity  21 

and  perseverance — characteristics  which  are  primarily 
the  resultants  of  early  and  regular  training.  As  one  of 
the  main  purposes  of  education  is  to  fit  the  individual 
to  adapt  himself  to  circumstances  and  adjust  himself 
to  whatever  station  in  life  he  may  be  called  to  occupy, 
it  follows  that  from  the  earliest  years  he  needs  practice 
in  doing  these  things.  Otherwise  when  the  call  comes 
he  will  be  like  an  awkward  tyro,  not  drilled  for  the 
crucial  test.  The  catastrophic  violence  of  the  eternal 
fight  between  the  powers  of  darkness  and  of  light, 
between  despotic  anarchy  and  well-ordered  government, 
between  Hell  and  Heaven,  which  we  witness  in  our 
time,  can  be  successfully  met  and  counteracted  by  the 
mothers  of  our  country,  through  the  unfailing  means 
of  a  good  home  education.  Each  orderly,  well-disci- 
plined home  is  a  bulwark  against  civic  disorder. 

If  you  train  your  children  carefully  until  they  are 
seven  years  old,  so  that  they  quickly  carry  out  your 
behests,  instantly  refrain  from  doing  the  forbidden 
thing,  make  no  attempt  to  rebel,  to  question  your 
authority,  to  demand  your  reasons  for  a  command ;  do 
not  whine,  sulk,  have  tantrums ;  are  helpful,  respectful, 
loving,  and  thoughtful,  you  will  not  need  to  worry 
about  the  future.  Your  children  are  already  three- 
quarters  educated,  and  you  need  only  continue  as  you 
have  begun.  If  in  addition  to  these  things  you  teach 
them  to  use  their  five  senses  and  help  them  to  acquire 
a  vocabulary  and  general  information  in  such  simple, 
thorough  ways  as  I  shall  point  out,  without  a  book  in 
their  hands,  your  children  will  be  educated,  even  though 
they  should  never  enter  a  schoolroom,  for  they  will  be 
able  and  eager  to  continue  their  education  without  a 
teacher. 


CHAPTER  III 

PSYCHOLOGY   AND   PEDAGOGY 

There  are  five  things,  all  more  or  less  the  outcome 
of  a  domestic  system,  which  will  determine  whether 
or  not  your  children  are  to  be  successful  in  school  and 
life: 

( 1 )  The  habit  of  ready  and  prompt  obedience.  This 
habit  is  implanted  and  grows  sturdily  through  daily 
lessons,  which  have  for  their  main  purpose  the  training 
of  children  to  respond  instantly,  almost  automatically, 
to  their  parents^  summons  and  commands. 

(2)  Reverence  towards  God,  which  the  child  must 
learn  through  careful  teaching,  for  it  is  not  born  with 
him.  He  must  acquire  a  deep  sense  of  humility  and 
dependence  upon  the  kind  and  loving  Father  of  all, 
who  is  in  Heaven. 

(3)  The  work-habit.  Many  children  fail  in  school 
because  their  natural  and  lovely  playfulness  has  been 
allowed  to  deteriorate  into  the  play-habit.  They  have 
been  taught  only  through  'interest,"  a  convenient  but 
dangerous  substitute  for  endeavor.  In  our  early  child- 
hood we  must  learn  to  work  and  how  to  work,  for  in 
later  life  the  world  will  not  trouble  to  entertain  us  so 
that  we  may  be  coaxed  into  doing  things.  Habits  of 
idle  amusement  mean  failure  in  school  and  in  life. 

(4)  The  habit  of  observation.  The  five  senses  must 
be  trained  by  daily  simple  lessons  at  home.  Even  if  all 
the  teachers  were  willing  and  competent,  this  is  a  task 

22 


Psychology  and  Pedagogy  23 

which  cannot  be  accomplished  in  the  school,  but  only 
continued  and  supplemented  there.  Moreover,  by  the 
time  a  child  is  old  enough  to  enter  school  he  is  past  the 
age  when  some  of  the  most  important  and  fundamental 
parts  of  this  training  should  have  been  given. 

(5)  -^  good  vocabulary.  Many  children  fail  in 
school  because  they  do  not  know  the  meaning  of  indis- 
pensable words  with  which  to  express  and  create  ideas, 
nor  can  they  grasp  the  language  of  the  textbooks.  The 
home,  which  has  the  child  during  the  most  impression- 
able period  of  its  life,  can  and  should  give  this  vocab- 
ulary. 

To  accomplish  its  aim,  education  must  be  religious, 
moral,  physical,  mental. 

Religious.  All  education  should  be  founded  on  a 
firm  faith  in  and  dutiful  obedience  to  God.  The  child 
must  learn  and  realize  that  everything  with  which  he 
comes  in  touch  is  the  work  of  an  all-kind,  all- wise,  all- 
powerful  Creator,  Whose  ways  we  cannot  always  un- 
derstand, but  to  Whom  we  can  pray. 

Moral.  When  the  child  has  got  hold  of  this  idea  of 
its  duty  to  God,  it  is  easy  to  teach  the  difference  between 
good  and  bad;  to  quicken  the  conscience;  to  make 
wickedness  hateful. 

Physical.  Education  should  show  that  the  body  is 
the  temple  of  the  immortal  soul,  to  be  kept  strong, 
clean,  and  fit  for  the  work  the  Creator  designed  it  to  do. 
Take  account,  then,  of  the  influence  that  even  correct- 
ness of  bodily  attitude  has  on  the  whole  mentality. 
Realize  that  the  knowledge  how  to  stand,  sit,  and 
breathe  properly  is  a  part  of  mental  as  well  as  physical 
training. 

Mental.    The  mind  has  untold  possibilities  for  good 


24       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

or  for  evil,  which  will  be  developed  partly  by  schooling, 
but  mainly  by  religious,  physical,  and  moral  training. 
Far  from  being  the  most  important  part  of  education, 
schooling  should  be  a  secondary,  though  an  essential 
consideration. 

Let  us  regard  the  first  ten  years  of  childhood  as  being 
divided  into  three  periods,  each  of  which  requires  its 
own  method  and  its  own  kind  of  instruction.  During 
the  first  three  years  the  animal  nature  predominates. 
The  child  is  learning  mainly  to  direct  and  control  his 
voluntary  muscles,  and  teaching  should  strive  towards 
making  him  form  correct  bodily  habits,  leading  to 
increased  self-control.  Simple  lessons,  such  as  are  out- 
lined in  the  chapters  on  Discipline,  Play,  and  Observa- 
tion, should  be  given  in  order  to  prepare  the  unfolding 
senses  for  the  next  stage  in  normal  development. 

From  three  to  seven  is  a  period  of  rapid  physical 
growth.  Next  to  the  care  of  the  awakening  soul, 
muscle  and  nerve-training  are  our  chief  considerations. 
This  is  the  most  important  time  for  gathering  first- 
hand knowledge  through  the  five  senses,  as  well  as  for 
laying  the  religious  foundation  by  establishing  faith 
and  trust  in  divine  power  and  goodness. 

Between  seven  and  ten  comes  the  intellectual  awaken- 
ing. From  dealing  with  material  realities,  that  is,  with 
knowledge  of  things  seen,  heard,  felt,  tasted,  smelt,  the 
child  proceeds  to  related  ideas.  From  dealing  with 
separate  facts,  he  begins  to  realize  connected  facts. 
Where  hitherto  he  has  dealt  only  with  things,  he  is 
now  concerned  about  the  reasons  for  things,  and  begins 
to  reason  from  cause  to  effect,  from  effect  to  cause. 
In  pedagogical  language,  he  passes  from  the  concrete 
to  the  abstract;  from  the  particular  to  the  general; 


Psychology  and  Pedagogy  25 

from  the  known  to  the  related  unknown.  Far  from 
discontinuing  the  muscle  training  and  sense  training  of 
the  earlier  periods,  we  should  now  supplement  them 
with  explicit  mind  training.  We  should  give  direct 
moral  instruction,  based  on  religious  instruction.  Dur- 
ing this  period  the  child  should  learn  to  read. 

This  classification  by  years  is  only  relative  and  ap- 
proximate. We  must  consider  mental  as  well  as  phys- 
ical age.  Not  merely  reading  about  children,  but  a 
careful  study  of  the  individual  child  will  guide  the 
parents  in  determining  for  what  instruction  this  par- 
ticular child  is  ready.  Since  no  two  children  are  in 
exactly  the  same  sense  beginners  at  the  same  age,  it  is 
not  possible  to  start  teaching  two  children  of  the  same 
age  in  exactly  the  same  way  and  meet  with  successful 
results.  God  made  us  one  by  one  and  to  emphasize  this 
individuality.  He  made  no  two  exactly  alike  in  body, 
mind,  or  spirit. 

The  passion  for  standardization  which  has  such  an 
all-embracing  influence  in  America,  ranging  from  bath- 
tub stoppers  and  typewriter  keyboards  to  the  mind- 
processes  of  children,  has  been  so  far  successful  that 
the  schools  are  nearly  all  graded,  divided,  and  coordi- 
nated on  the  same  principles  and  in  the  same  manner. 
The  watchword  is  ^'quantity  production  and  inter- 
changeable parts."  One  of  the  frightful  possibilities 
suggested  by  schoolmen  is  that  intelligence  standards 
will  soon  do  for  education  what  standardized  measure- 
ments have  done  in  practical  fields.  Very  possibly  this 
end  could  be  attained  with  the  lower  animals,  for  they 
exhibit  a  more  simple  and  regulated  constitution  than 
ours,  the  lion,  for  instance,  being  invariably  bold  and 
ferocious,  the  lamb  feeble  and  inoffensive,  but  God  in 


26       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

His  wisdom  has  not  seen  fit  to  make  human  minds 
adaptable  to  this  perfection  of  itemizing.  This  system 
of  educational  measurements  is  fundamentally  weak- 
ened by  the  fact  that  the  classifications  depend  upon  the 
child's  answers  to  questions,  and  these  answers  indi- 
cate the  kind  of  teaching  he  has  had,  not  the  kind  or 
degree  of  intelligence  he  possesses.  The  fact  that  Mon- 
tessori  trained  idiot  children  so  that  they  successfully 
passed  the  examinations  drawn  up  for  normal  pupils 
substantiates  this  objection.  The  safe  guide  to  the 
child's  intelligence  and  to  the  kind  of  lessons  he  is 
ready  to  learn,  is  not  his  answers  but  his  questions. 

Testing  a  six-year-old  girl's  intelligence  according 
to  the  graded  list  of  questions,  a  school  principal  asked 
her:  **What  would  you  do  if  a  fire  started  in  your 
house?"  When  she  answered,  'T  do  not  know,"  she 
was  marked  below  standard  intelligence,  whereupon  I 
asked  the  examiner  what  he  would  do  if  a  fire  started 
in  his  house,  and  found  that  he  did  not  know  either. 
Before  determining  his  course  of  action  he  wanted  to 
know  the  nature,  extent,  location,  and  disposition  of 
the  conflagration.  In  this  book  the  age  of  three  means 
the  time  when  the  child's  questions  show  that  he  is 
investigating  his  surroundings  with  interest  other  than 
that  connected  with  feeding,  walking,  sleeping;  when 
he  wants  to  know  the  names  of  things  and  seems  ready 
to  learn.    It  is  then  time  to  teach  him. 

One  can  recognize  the  child's  emergence  from  the 
second  or  kindergarten  period  into  that  third  stage 
referred  to  as  intellectual  by  his  asking  the  reasons  for 
things,  such  as,  Why  is  the  rose  red?  Why  can't  I  fly 
like  the  birds?  The  word  what  belongs  to  the  second 
period,  why  to  the  third  period.    Let  me  say  here  to 


Psychology  and  Pedagogy  27 

the  mothers,  as  I  shall  say  again  and  again,  that  what- 
ever may  be  the  temptation  and  whatever  the  incite- 
ments, do  not  undertake  to  hasten  the  transition  from 
one  stage  to  the  next,  for  to  do  so  is  to  thwart  and 
defeat  your  own  dearest  hopes.  Would  you  hasten 
incubation  by  cracking  the  shell  before  the  chick  was 
ready  to  make  its  way  out?  Just  keep  this  homely 
maxim  in  mind:  When  you  do  not  know  whether  to 
teach  a  thing  or  not,  do  not  teach  it. 

We  need  not  discuss  at  length  the  training  of  the 
infant.  Few  mothers  would  confess  their  inability  to 
learn  how  to  care  for  and  to  train  the  babe,  yet  the 
first  few  years  dominate  his  future  and  require  the 
highest  instinctive  and  acquired  wisdom.  For  example, 
self-control  is  said  to  be  the  triumph  of  education,  yet 
the  cornerstone  of  self-control  is  regularity  in  the  hours 
of  feeding  and  sleeping.  The  main  thing  we  need  to 
insist  upon  for  the  child  of  two  or  thereabouts  is  that 
he  should  be  a  healthy  little  animal,  trained  to  obey  and 
be  docile.  Discipline,  play,  or  occupation,  and  the  phy- 
sician's instructions,  all  administered  with  good  sense, 
constitute  the  safe  curriculum  for  the  first  three  years. 

Next  comes  the  home  kindergarten  period,  which 
usually  determines  whether  the  child  is  to  become  a  use- 
ful citizen  or  a  loafer.  He  is  learning  in  every  waking 
moment,  indeed  he  almost  seems  to  learn  while  he 
sleeps.  He  is  becoming  conscious  of  his  surroundings 
and  is  dealing  with  concrete  experiences.  At  this  time 
correct  physical  habits  should  be  well  established  and 
correct  mental  habits  developed.  The  age  between  three 
and  seven  is  more  important  educationally  than  the 
entire  school  course.  There  is  a  more  striking  differ- 
ence between  children  at  this  age  than  at  any  subse- 


28       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

quent  time,  and  watchful  care  and  regular  instruction 
are  more  important  now  than  they  will  ever  be  again. 
Ignorance  or  neglect  on  the  part  of  parents  leave  inef- 
faceable scars,  yet  this  is  the  period  which  is  more 
neglected  than  any  other.  Let  mothers  ask  themselves, 
Why? 

To  begin  with,  sense  training  is  a  necessary  part  of 
the  foundation  on  which  to  build  a  strong  mentality, 
for  with  proper  training  of  the  senses  at  the  time  of 
their  natural  unfolding,  it  would  be  possible  to  increase 
fourfold  the  mental  power  of  the  generation  so  taught. 
Indeed,  if  it  were  possible  to  enforce  such  a  law,  the 
state  should  make  sense  training,  compulsory  at  home 
and  in  school.  The  attention  of  the  beginner  is  turned 
particularly  towards  external  objects.  The  little  child 
is  "all  eyes  and  ears."  This  is  a  manifestation  of 
Nature's  way  of  taking  the  first  steps  in  the  child's 
education,  since  it  is  through  this  inquisitiveness  that 
he  becomes  acquainted  with  the  outside  world.  The 
gates  of  the  mind  are  opening.  At  the  age  of  three 
and  earlier  the  five  senses  should  receive  proper  and 
adequate  attention,  and  this  training  should  continue 
until  physical  growth  is  attained;  otherwise  there  will 
be  a  lack  that  cannot  be  supplied  in  adult  life. 

During  this  period  language  should  be  established. 
The  child  should  learn  to  enunciate  distinctly  and  cor- 
rectly all  the  vowel  and  consonant  sounds.  He  should 
learn  the  names  of  common  things,  their  perceptible 
qualities,  and  their  observable  uses.  Lessons  should 
deal  mainly  with  single  objects,  the  mind  not  being 
ready  for  relationships.  The  rising  of  steam  and  the 
falling  of  raindrops  are  two  separate  lessons  and  the 
child  of  this  age  is  not  ready  to  connect  steam  or  vapor 


Psychology  and  Pedagogy  29 

with  rain.  He  does  not  want  reasons  for  things,  for 
as  yet  he  reasons  only  in  the  most  limited  way.  Neither 
does  he  want  generalities.  He  must  learn  the  same 
thing  about  a  great  many  separate  things  before  he  can 
combine  this  knowledge  into  generalities. 

When  Esther  brings  in  a  weed,  teach  her  from  it 
the  different  parts — root,  leaf,  etc.,  and  its  name,  and 
note  whether  it  is  in  flower  or  bearing  seed.  When 
next  day  she  brings  in  another  weed,  go  over  the  same 
lessons  without  comment.  By  and  by,  maybe  a  year 
or  three  years  hence,  the  child  will  realize  that  all  the 
plants  she  found  had  root,  stalk,  leaf,  flower,  seed,  and 
she  will  have  made  one  of  the  great  discoveries  of  her 
life,  an  abstraction.  But  do  not  hasten  this  process. 
Let  her  arrive  at  this  conclusion  herself.  In  this  simple 
way  you  lay  the  foundations  for  accurate  human  rea- 
soning. Proceeding  thus,  in  various  directions,  and 
little  by  little,  she  will  learn  the  fundamental  laws  of 
Nature  and  comprehend  the  great  fundamental  truths 
of  the  Book  of  Genesis. 

Together  with  training  in  observation  and  language, 
should  come  training  in  obedience,  self-control,  and 
industry.  The  very  best  means  of  instilling  these  les- 
sons is  through  little  tasks  about  the  house,  carefully 
chosen  to  fit  the  child's  age  and  strength,  which  he 
should  be  trained  to  perform  regularly  and  punctually. 
"Helping  mother"  is  the  most  profitable  kind  of  train- 
ing. The  kindergarten  period  is  the  mother's  great 
opportunity.  The  home  permits  full  individual  devel- 
opment, the  necessity  for  which  will  be  readily  under- 
stood. Every  faculty  has  its  proper  period  of  develop- 
ment as  well  as  its  peculiar  mode  of  growth;  hence  the 
education  belonging  to  a  certain  period  must  be  given 


30       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

at  that  period,  else  there  is  an  impediment  or  a  defect 
that  will  be  a  life-handicap. 

During  this  wonderful  early  epoch  the  instruction 
should  be  personal,  and  so  planned  as  tenderly  to  guard 
the  unfolding  mind,  as  well  as  at  times  to  let  it  unfold 
by  itself.  The  importance  of  this  * 'letting  cilone"  is 
best  told  by  the  poet  Lowell : 

"They  knew  not  how  he  learned  at  all, 
For  idly,  hour  by  hour, 
He  sat  and  watched  the  dead  leaves  fall. 
Or  mused  upon  a  common  flower. 

"It  seemed  the  loveliness  of  things 

Did  teach  him  all  their  use, 
For,  in  mere  weeds,  and  stones,  and  springs. 
He  found  a  healing  power  profuse. 

"Yet  after  he  was  dead  and  gone, 

And  e'en  his  memory  dim, 
Earth  seemed  more  sweet  to  live  upon. 
More  full  of  love,  because  of  him." 

Let  the  mother  go  again  and  again  to  Nature  for 
stimulus,  suggestion,  encouragement,  correction.  The 
question,  "Little  flower,  what  can  you  teach  me?"  will 
not  go  unanswered.  Still  more  fully  will  the  forest 
answer  her  questioning.  This  is  not  empty  phrasing, 
for  the  child  develops  as  the  tree  develops,  the  definite 
order  of  growth  being  controlled  in  each  instance  by  a 
great  natural  law.  At  my  feet  lies  a  large  spruce, 
showing  a  cross-section  fresh  from  the  ax,  and  in  the 
exact  center  of  the  circumference  is  a  dark  spot  about 
as  large  as  the  pupil  of  the  human  eye.     Surrounding 


Psychology  and  Pedagogy  31 

this  is  a  distinct  circle,  one  half -inch  across,  which 
marks  the  growth  attained  by  the  sapling  in  the  first 
year.  Outside  of  this  is  a  second  concentric  circle,  one 
inch  across,  showing  the  second  year's  growth.  There 
are  fifty  of  these  circles,  telling  the  finished  history  of 
that  tree  as  plainly  as  could  the  typesetter.  Date  of 
birth,  the  good  growing  seasons,  the  cold  and  backward 
summer — each  has  its  chapter.  The  tree  adjusted  itself 
to  circumstances  and  made,  on  the  whole,  a  normal 
growth;  a  little  more  this  year,  a  little  less  the  next. 
A  half -century  of  rain  and  sun,  storm  and  calm  work- 
ing together,  had  fulfilled  the  law. 

Beside  my  spruce  lies  another  spruce.  It,  too,  started 
life  in  1871,  with  everything  needful  bound  up  in  that 
little  center  like  the  pupil  of  the  eye,  but  here,  instead 
of  symmetry,  is  one-sidedness.  The  heart  of  the  tree 
is  far  from  the  center,  the  bounding  lines  of  annual 
growth  are  irregular,  the  first  ten  years'  increase  on 
the  north  side  being  equal  to  only  one  year's  increase 
on  the  south  side.  Because  of  the  lack  in  one  part,  the 
tree  is  defective  in  every  part.  The  soul,  the  mind, 
the  body,  do  not  grow  separately,  and  attempts  to  make 
them  do  so  must  end  disastrously.  When  the  higher 
faculties  remain  imdeveloped,  man  falls  lower  in  the 
scale  of  creation  than  the  brute  beasts  of  the  field, 
whereas  mind  developed  at  the  expense  of  the  body  will 
be  weighted  to  the  earth  instead  of  being  nourished 
by  it. 

Here  are  a  few  reminders  for  the  teacher-mother : 
Be  forehanded.     Plan  a  day  ahead.    Do  not  try  to 
live  more  than  one  day  at  a  time.     From  sunrise  to 
sunrise  is  the  perfect  circle.     Make  that  day  as  com- 
plete as  you  can.     Glance  over  the  day's  record  at 


32       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-M other         , 

nightfall,  take  stock  of  blunders  and  omissions,  and 
during  the  coming  day  set  them  as  nearly  right  as  you 
can.  Do  not  fret  lest  you  may  not  accomplish  this  or 
that  in  a  year  or  in  a  season.  "Continue  adding  a  little 
to  what  was  originally  a  little,  and  you  will  form  a 
great  heap." 

Do  not  look  for  great  and  immediate  showy  results. 
You  know  that  you  must  give  a  seed  time  to  sprout,  and 
a  plant  time  to  form  sound  roots,  and  you  would  not 
dig  it  up  now  and  then  to  see  how  it  is  coming  along. 
Therefore  do  not  ask  the  child  to  give  forth  informa- 
tion or  to  produce  results,  and  do  not  be  disappointed 
if  something  is  completely  forgotten  which  you  thought 
you  had  taught  for  all  time. 

Never  get  impatient  because  the  child  learns  slowly. 
Bee-keepers  will  tell  you  that  new  honey  sometimes 
has  a  rank,  disagreeable  taste  and  odor  unless  left  in 
the  hive  to  ripen  after  the  bees  have  sealed  it  over.  So 
long  as  your  children  are  obeying  willingly,  are  learning 
to  be  polite,  thoughtful  of  others,  self -controlled,  help- 
ful, to  make  and  do  things  with  their  hands,  to  observe, 
learning  new  words  through  these  and  other  lessons, 
do  not  worry  nor  try  to  hurry  them. 

Make  things  simple  rather  than  easy  for  children, 
who  as  a  rule  are  not  afraid  of  "hard"  things.  Find 
out  what  the  child  can  do  and  then  make  him  do  it. 
The  right  kind  of  teaching  and  learning  involves  effort 
but  not  distress.  The  environment  must  not  be  too 
evenly  tempered. 

Do  not  attach  value  to  secondhand  knowledge  of 
facts,  or  crowd  the  mind  with  information,  even  the 
best  of  information,  any  more  than  you  would  crowd 
the  stomach  with  food.    There  is  far  more  danger  in 


Psychology  and  Pedagogy  33 

teaching  too  much  than  too  little.  The  temptation  to 
stuff  a  child  with  disconnected  odds  and  ends  of  infor- 
mation, to  show  how  much  he  can  hold,  is  almost  too 
much  for  the  most  experienced  of  us.  Now  the  brain 
cannot  constantly  grasp  a  succession  of  facts,  and  to 
cram  it  beyond  its  capacity  for  assimilation  is  merely 
unculture.  It  is  like  sowing  four  bushels  of  wheat 
where  two  are  required — there  will  be  no  yield.  Not 
the  knowledge  a  man  has,  but  what  he  can  do  with  it, 
is  the  test  of  his  education ;  not  how  much  the  mother 
knows,  but  whether  she  can  make  the  child  do  the  work 
that  is  good  for  him,  is  the  test  of  her  fitness  to  teach. 
There  is  far  less  danger  of  overcrowding  from  a  good 
mother,  who  is  busy  with  her  family,  requiring  a  nor- 
mal amount  of  help  from  each,  than  from  a  mother 
who  has  less  to  do  or  where,  unfortunately,  the  child 
is  left  to  a  nurse  or  governess  or  kindergarten. 

Continuing  to  apply  to  education  the  terms  of  for- 
estry, let  us  rememEer  that  the  good  forester  has  an 
eye  to  the  direction  and  shape  which  the  young  tree 
should  take.  He  uses  prop  and  pruning-knife  where 
needed,  trusts  much  to  soil  and  rain  and  sunshine, 
bears  in  mind  that  sturdy  trees  demand  time  and  room 
to  grow,  and  does  not  try  to  grow  oaks  in  flower-pots. 
Method  is  merely  a  way  to  an  end,  and  the  good  teacher 
uses  the  plain  and  simple  methods,  acquired  by  observ- 
ing the  operations  of  Nature  and  by  her  knowledge  of 
human  nature.  Preconceived  notions  of  education  do 
not  fit  when  it  comes  to  dealing  with  the  individual 
child.  How  often  does  one  hear  the  wife  of  a  school- 
man say :  ''Since  we  have  had  children  of  our  own,  my 
husband  has  entirely  revised  his  ideas  of  education." 
The  teacher  must  follow  the  lead  of  the  child,  teaching 


34       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

him  what  he  is  ready  to  learn  as  shown  by  his  questions. 
The  earlier  good  instructions  are  given,  the  more 
lasting  will  be  their  impression.  Let  goodness,  not 
greatness,  be  the  teacher-mother's  goal.  "Be  good,  my 
child,  and  let  who  will  be  clever."  Let  who  will  do  the 
dreaming  of  future  greatness — do  you  stick  to  the  plain 
old-fashioned  doctrine  of  bringing  up  a  child  to  be 
industrious,  respectful,  observant.  How  to  do  this 
cannot  be  told  in  a  day,  nor  can  it  be  attained  in  a  sea- 
son nor  in  a  year.  It  means  line  upon  line,  precept  upon 
precept.  "No  day  without  a  line,"  was  the  motto  cred- 
ited by  the  Elder  Pliny  to  the  great  Greek  painter 
Apelles. 


CHAPTER  IV 

DISCIPLINE 

Wherever  and  whenever  human  beings  have  been 
living  and  toiling  together,  a  set  of  rules  and  measures 
to  ensure  peace,  progress,  and  prosperity  has  been  found 
necessary.  Stern  necessity  engenders  and  develops  dis- 
cipline. Many  mothers  regard  and  use  discipline  as 
punishment,  but  according  to  Webster,  it  means  the 
treatment  suited  to  a  disciple  or  learner;  education; 
development  of  the  faculties  by  instruction  and  exer- 
cise; training,  whether  physical,  mental,  or  moral. 
Discipline  originally  meant  a  training  or  educating  to 
obedience,  the  submission  of  the  natural  animal  will 
to  a  law  which  is  the  expression  of  a  human  will.  It 
meant  control,  with  the  definite  purpose  of  establishing 
a  reasoning  self-control.  Teacher-mothers  must  bear 
in  mind  that  when  I  speak  of  discipline  I  adhere  to  this 
original  and  humane  meaning.  Military  discipline,  a 
term  so  often  misused  and  misunderstood,  is  a  totally 
different  thing  and  quite  out  of  place  in  child-training. 

Education,  therefore,  implies  discipline.  Discipline 
is  the  root  and  stem  of  collective  and  individual  good; 
without  it  we  cannot  have  system,  and  without  system 
there  can  be  no  real  progress:  no  school  could  effec- 
tively instruct ;  no  great  business  undertakings  could  be 
carried  on ;  democracy  could  not  survive.  Good  parents 
facilitate  life  for  their  children  by  giving  them  the 
kind  of  training  that  makes  an  orderly  mind  and  body 

35 


36       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

and  trains  every  fiber  to  respond  to  rightful  commands. 

It  is  a  good  thing  to  learn  when  young  that  life  sets 
before  us  a  certain  number  of  things  to  be  done,  from 
which  there  is  no  escape.  The  children  have  to  face  a 
stern  world  in  which  duty  will  not  be  made  pleasant  for 
them.  Day  after  day  they  will  have  to  do  the  things 
that  have  to  be  done,  not  because  it  is  nice  to  do  them, 
but  because  they  have  to,  or  go  down  as  failures.  Every 
day  of  childhood  should  be  a  preparatory  drill  for  this 
great  battle  of  life.  It  is  not  enough  that  children  are 
well-disposed,  affectionate,  obliging,  but  it  is  extremely 
necessary  that  they  have  regular  practice  in  doing  as 
they  are  told,  without  stopping  to  consider  whether  it 
suits  their  convenience.  It  takes  a  long,  long  time  to 
learn  to  respond  to  a  command  with  mind  and  body. 

Now  discipline  must  be  based  on  a  knowledge  of 
human  nature,  so  take  time  for  child  study.  Watch 
the  growth  of  the  human  plant.  Sometimes  it  will 
unfold  leaf  by  leaf  with  pleasing  symmetry,  and  if  it 
should  dismay  us  by  a  seemingly  long  period  of  dor- 
mancy, it  is  sure  to  burst  out  again  into  ravishing 
bloom.  Books  on  the  subject  help  us  sometimes,  but 
by  suggestions  rather  than  by  information. 

Take  time  also  for  parent  study.  A  good  child  is 
far  more  a  matter  of  parent  training  than  of  child 
training,  for  what  we  would  have  children  become,  it 
behooves  us  to  be,  in  mind  and  deed.  An  old  philoso- 
pher reminds  us  that  *'not  the  cry  but  the  rising  of  the 
wild  drake  impels  the  flock  to  follow  him  in  upward 
flight."  In  like  manner  good  words  without  the  exam- 
ple carry  little  weight  with  children,  who  are  the  keen- 
est, sharpest-witted,  longest-memoried,  most  unsparing, 
and  most  honest  of  critics.     Therefore  ask  yourself 


Discipline  37 

three  times  a  day:  Do  I  practice  what  I  preach?  Do  I 
chastise  the  children  for  mirroring  my  shortcomings? 
Is  my  policy  one  of  *'Do  as  I  say,  not  as  I  do?"  Am  I 
dispensing  rewards  and  inflicting  punishment  according 
to  mood  or  inclination  or  expedient,  rather  than  accord- 
ing to  justice  ? 

Begin  early!  A  normal,  healthy  baby  is  disciplin- 
able, but  parental  neglect  may  make  it  undisciplinable 
and  spoil  it,  and  an  undisciplined  child  is  not  likely  to 
become  a  desirable  citizen.  Therefore,  at  seed-time, 
when  you  can  still  protect  and  train  the  tender  sapling, 
begin  to  cultivate  your  child's  character.  Will-power 
follows  self-control,  which  depends  primarily  on  phys- 
ical care  and  habit.  An  infant  is  not  well  reared  if  it 
has  not  some  measure  of  self-control  before  it  can 
speak.  We  cannot  begin  too  early  to  teach  the  meaning 
and  force  of  authority,  and  until  the  child  has  learned 
to  do  promptly  and  willy-nilly  the  thing  that  has  to  be 
done,  its  education  cannot  progress. 

Much  of  the  trouble  and  worry  over  children  is 
really  due  to  faulty  domestic  arrangements.  Now  regu- 
larity is  the  keynote  of  success,  therefore  be  method- 
ical. Systematize  your  household  plans.  Draw  up  a 
regular  daily  schedule,  and  not  only  keep  to  it  but  make 
your  children  do  so  as  well,  so  that  all  day  long  they 
know  "what  comes  next,"  whether  mealtime,  bedtime, 
playtime,  playing  with  baby,  or  helping  mother  in  some 
other  way.  This  does  away  with  a  certain  amount  of 
questioning  and  eventual  protesting,  which  are  excus- 
able in  ^  child  if  regularity  is  not  observed. 

Be  just !  Do  not,  in  the  fear  of  alienating  the  child's 
love,  condone  faults  and  withhold  punishment,  for 
when  kindly,  strict  discipline  does  not  kill  love.    Chil- 


38       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother  ) 

dren  worship  justice,  and  even  when  it  entails  pain 
and  inconvenience  to  themselves,  they  demand  an  eye 
for  an  eye.  They  may  protest  against  deserved  pun- 
ishment, yet  they  lose  respect — nay,  even  feel  contempt 
— for  the  parent  or  teacher  who  weakly  yields.  He 
who  rules  children  firmly  and  justly  gains  not  only  their 
respect  but  their  lasting  affection,  while  those  who  seek 
favor  by  truckling  usually  overreach  themselves.  How 
often  children  are  heard  to  say :  *'I  do  not  like  the  new 
teacher;  she  lets  us  do  as  we  please,"  or,  a  still  worse 
indictment :  "She  pretended  we  knew  our  lessons  when 
we  didn't."  Punishment  for  neglect  or  refusal  to  obey 
is  what  shows  that  commands  are  to  be  obeyed,  there- 
fore the  good  mother  enforces  hers  by  a  spanking  if 
necessary. 

Be  consistent!  Correct  a  fault  not  only  the  first 
time  but  every  time  it  appears.  It  is  not  the  severity 
of  punishment  but  its  certainty  that  deters.  First 
faults  are  most  to  be  guarded  against.  A  mere  pecca- 
dillo, overlooked  or  condoned  the  first  time,  will  soon 
grow  into  a  habitual  fault  and  then  become  a  bad  habit, 
whose  correction  will  entail  many  and  severe  punish- 
ments. Indulgence  on  one  occasion  makes  correction 
the  next  time  unjust  and  doubly  hard  to  bear,  and, 
therefore,  less  effective.  If  the  same  fault  is  again 
repeated  and  again  condoned,  the  child  naturally  won- 
ders, when  punishment  finally  comes,  why  a  thing 
should  be  wrong  one  day  and  not  so  another.  More- 
over, curiosity  and  the  inherent  love  of  gambling  will 
often  lead  a  child  to  trespass,  in  the  desire  to  find  out 
"what  will  happen  next  time." 

Be  honest!  Do  not  close  your  eyes  to  the  child's 
defects,  or  call  naughtiness  "nervousness"   and  bad 


Discipline  39 

temper  "sensitiveness."  How  many  mothers  insist 
that  theirs  is  an  exceptional  child,  easily  governed  with 
a  word,  with  love,  with  reasoning,  but  unable  to  endure 
a  command,  and  that  any  attempt  to  enforce  obedience 
upsets  his  central  nervous  system ! 

Do  not  treat  the  child  like  a  plaything!  Parents 
sometimes  say:  "I  want  my  children  to  have  things 
easier  than  I  had  them.  My  parents  were  too  strict." 
It  is  a  fact,  however,  that  the  happiest  homes  are  those 
in  which  helpfulness,  promptness,  and  courtesy  are 
required  of  each  member,  and  where  there  is  no  escape 
from  individual  responsibility.  We  decry  the  harsh 
discipline  of  earlier  days,  yet  if  you  would  picture  to 
yourself  the  most  miserable  child,  think  of  one  accus- 
tomed to  having  his  own  way.  He  it  is  who  will  hate 
and  despise  his  mistaken  parents.  Happiness  is,  indeed, 
a  vital  consideration,  but  let  us  insure  happiness  of 
the  true  and  lasting  kind.  In  a  world  of  resistance 
nothing  but  unhappiness  confronts  those  who  enter  it 
unschooled  to  resistance,  unused  to  self-denial,  incapa- 
ble of  self-control. 

Take  care  that  the  household  does  not  fall  into  the 
habit  of  revolving  about  the  child,  who  should  be  made 
to  conform  and  adapt  himself  to  the  convenience  of 
others.  Do  not  let  him  grow  up  with  the  notion  that 
the  world  revolves  around  any  individual.  The  indi- 
vidual should  seek  his  happiness  in  the  good  and  hap- 
piness of  the  whole.  Teach  children  to  take  a  becoming 
back  seat.  Do  not  countenance  a  single  demand  for 
attention  to  their  wants.  It  may  be  that  those  little 
sacrifices  of  self  that  you  now  oblige  them  to  make  will 
work  out  their  salvation  at  a  future  time.  Self-denial 
must  be  practiced  early  or  never. 


40       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

Make  the  child  do  regular  work.  The  having  to  do 
a  set  thing  at  a  set  time  every  day  strengthens  the  char- 
acter of  a  child  and  gives  it  a  certain  determination  in 
its  whole  bearing.  In  this  way  you  bring  order  into 
life,  body,  and  mind.  There  must  be  a  certain  amount 
of  hard,  serious  work  connected  with  education,  and 
the  earlier  this  is  accomplished  before  the  age  of  twelve, 
the  more  easily  will  new  orderly  habits  be  established. 
At  about  twelve,  the  character  begins  to  form,  and 
although  the  child  may  be  as  far  as  ever  from  being 
able  to  form  correct  judgments,  it  becomes  increasingly 
difficult  to  use  compulsion.  Unless  he  be  well  accus- 
tomed to  them,  regular  tasks  are  then  drudgery.  Of 
course  discretion  must  be  used  by  the  teacher-mother, 
who  must  never  become  a  taskmaster  and  slave  driver. 
There  must  be  "moderation  in  all  things,"  even  in  our 
noblest  aspirations,  but  make  the  youngest  child  con- 
scious of  his  duty  to  save  you  steps,  to  conform  to 
your  plans,  to  take  unobtrusively  his  turn  at  the  daily 
grindstone. 

Give  children  a  free  hand  except  in  those  things 
injurious  or  detrimental  to  them,  of  which  parents,  not 
the  children,  are  to  judge.  Let  them  make  mistakes 
and  suffer  the  consequences.  Watch  them  at  all  times 
without  their  knowing  they  are  watched.  Let  them 
play  together  without  interference  in  their  innocent 
mischievousness,  or  without  knowing  that  your  eye  is 
upon  them. 

Be  sparing  in  your  commands;  never  give  any  that 
are  merely  arbitrary,  but  make  certain  that  the  child 
understands  and  is  perfectly  able  to  carry  out  any  that 
you  give.  Commands  must  be  few  and  clear  and  neces- 
sary, but  see  to  it  that  the  child  carries  them  out.    Be- 


Discipline  41 

fore  you  speak,  reassure  yourself  that  he  is  quite  able 
to  carry  out  the  order.  Your  word  will  then  carry 
weight.  Make  a  habit  of  quietly  telling  him  what  to 
do,  and  tolerate  no  appeals  from  your  decision.  Quiet 
submission  to  authority  strengthens  character,  there- 
fore accustom  the  child  to  take  a  plain  *'no"  with  cheer- 
ful resignation.  Give  him  what  is  good  for  him  to 
have,  not  what  he  fancies,  but  do  not  talk  about  it.  A 
simple  "No"  is  far  more  effective  than  any  kind  of 
explanation,  and  at  the  same  time  more  acceptable  to 
the  child.  You  need  not  emphasize  it;  it  is  emphatic 
in  itself  and  readily  so  received. 

The  merest  baby  wants  her  own  way,  and  to  a  certain 
extent  she  is  getting  it  when  she  perceives  that  she 
annoys  you  and  disturbs  your  calm.  She  may  not  get 
the  particular  thing  she  is  demanding,  and  you  may 
enforce  a  rule  she  is  endeavoring  to  evade,  but  if  she 
has  forced  you  to  talk  much  about  it,  or  to  appear 
nervous  or  worried,  she  has  attained  a  very  considerable 
end,  namely,  made  herself  the  evident  center  of  gravi- 
tation. 

Often  the  whole  question  of  discipline  rests  upon 
the  form  in  which  the  command  is  given,  that  is, 
whether  it  sounds  to  the  child  like  a  supplication  or  an 
order.  If  you  simply  and  naturally  tell  her  what  to  do, 
the  child  will  settle  down  to  be  happier,  more  cheerful, 
less  disposed  to  the  obnoxious  American  malady, 
"nerves." 

Individual  discipline,  the  habit  of  obedience,  should 
be  established  long  before  collective  discipline  is  at- 
tempted, or  we  do  violence  to  human  nature.  A  fine 
orchestra  conveys  to  the  unthinking  an  impression  of 
concerted  training  only,  yet  before  ever  the  master 


42       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

attempted  concert  movements  he  taught  and  drilled  the 
players  one  by  one.  Children  need  control;  they  need 
to  feel  a  strong  will  directing,  restraining,  confining, 
limiting,  and  steadying  them,  for  only  in  this  way  can 
they  acquire  real  strength  of  will  and  character  as 
opposed  to  stubbornness,  wrong-headedness,  and  the 
lowest  degree  of  desire.  Disobedience  is  too  often  con- 
doned on  the  ground  that  the  children  must  develop 
their  "individuality,"  or  their  "initiative,"  parental  lax- 
ity being  excused  on  the  plea  that  correction  or  suppres- 
sion makes  children  weak-spirited.  The  very  mention 
of  corporal  punishment  causes  our  self-styled  educators 
to  wring  their  hands  in  horror  at  the  injustice  and 
cruelty  of  laying  hands  on  a  little  child. 

Now  there  can  be  neither  safety  nor  happiness  for 
a  child  imless  it  be  based  on  willing  submission  to 
parental  authority,  which  brings  to  the  child  self-con- 
trol and  teaches  it  to  bow  the  head  to  wisdom.  In 
this  and  in  no  other  way  will  it  learn  to  kiss  the  rod 
that  God  holds  out  to  us  all.  The  child  who  has  been 
taught  to  obey  is  already  half -educated.  Well-disci- 
plined children  are  not  weak-spirited,  sullen,  or  tyran- 
nical, and  parental  laxity  is  not  love  but  hate.  The 
fear  of  disobeying  his  parents  is  the  first  step  in  teach- 
ing a  child  to  fear  breaking  the  laws  of  the  land  and 
the  laws  of  God.  The  habit  of  obedience  can  be  estab- 
lished without  resort  to  harshness,  although  not  with- 
out punishment,  but  if  not  established  in  early  child- 
hood it  is  doubtful  whether  it  can  be  done  without  the 
harshest  kind  of  harshness. 

A  child  must  neither  question  nor  criticize  the  man- 
dates of  his  parents.  You  need  not  fear  being  too 
stem  in  this  respect,  for  if  you  give  a  child  an  inch  he 


Discipline  43 

takes  an  ell.  When  you  allow  such  a  criticism  to  go 
unchecked,  the  child  promptly  assumes  that  he  is  en- 
tirely within  his  rights  in  pointing  out  the  error  of 
your  ways,  and  will  constantly  seek  for  blunders  of 
yours  to  point  out.  Yet  nothing  of  this  kind  comes 
suddenly ;  we  are  only  forced  to  see  suddenly  something 
to  which  we  have  blinded  ourselves.  Make  the  children 
feel  that  they  are  only  little  children,  and  for  this  very 
reason  must  not  undertake  to  tell  any  grown  person 
what  to  do.  They  must  not  pass  judgment  on  what  is 
given  them  to  do,  or  be  allowed  to  discuss  what  is  good 
and  bad.  They  can  know  nothing  about  it,  and  yet 
through  inadvertent  talk  they  get  the  notion  that  they 
do  know.  The  fewer  words  you  use  in  giving  a  com- 
mand, the  better.  "Because  mother  tells  you  to,"  is 
plain,  simple,  kind,  and  all-sufficient  for  a  reason.  The 
children  will  be  more  contented ;  you  will  be  happier  and 
will  be  warding  off  the  danger  of  that  period  which 
may  otherwise  arrive  all  too  soon,  when  your  boy  gets 
the  bit  between  his  own  little  teeth  and  tells  you  that 
he  does  not  agree  with  your  point  of  view. 

There  is  not  a  day  to  waste  in  the  matter  of  check- 
ing a  disposition  to  question  parental  authority  or 
judgment,  or  to  seek  a  convincing  presentation  of  the 
case  before  obeying  a  command.  These  faults  never 
wear  away  of  their  own  accord.  Picture  to  yourself 
the  difficulties  and  humiliations  that  confront  the 
mother  of  a  twelve-year-old  who  is  not  halter-broken. 
Personally,  I  do  not  believe  that  a  boy  who  is  normal 
and  healthy  and  worth  bringing  up  can  be  properly 
trained  without  the  use  of  a  good  switch. 

The  minute  you  let  a  child  feel  that  he  has  a  choice 
in  the  matter  of  obedience,  all  the  Old  Nick  in  him 


44       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

seems  to  be  stirred  up  and  the  natural  thing  is  for 
him  to  say,  "I  won't."  It  is  painful  to  me  to  watch 
a  certain  three-year-old  child  who  is  under  my  observa- 
tion but  not  my  authority.  His  mother  will  say: 
"Doesn't  Jimmy  want  this?"  Jimmy  does  not.  It 
may  be  the  bread  that  he  should  eat  with  his  dinner. 
"But  it  is  good  for  Jimmy.  Jimmy  will  be  hungry 
before  supper  if  he  doesn't  eat  this."  Supper  is  far 
distant,  and  Jimmy  is  not  impressed.  "Jimmy  won't 
grow  into  a  big  man  if  he  doesn't  eat  what  mother  gives 
him."  Manhood  is  still  farther  off  than  supper,  so 
Jimmy  is  still  less  impressed.  After  so  many  object 
lessons  in  how  to  get  his  own  way,  the  child  will 
naturally  resist  when  later  it  becomes  necessary  to  use 
compulsion. 

And  he  does  resist.  One  day  Jimmy  decided  to 
crawl  under  the  fence  into  the  pasture  to  look  for  the 
spotted  calf.  Father  and  mother  explained  that  an 
ill-tempered  bull  held  sway  there,  but  to  no  purpose. 
The  bull  was  not  in  sight,  so  each  time  the  father 
released  him  Jimmy  made  for  the  fence.  At  last,  in 
order  to  save  the  child's  life,  the  father  beat  him  and 
beat  him  brutally,  not  once  but  again  and  again,  yet 
instead  of  submitting,  the  child  would  race  for  the 
fence  each  time  he  escaped  the  father's  grasp,  scream- 
ing out  his  defiance.  While  the  performance  was 
going  on  the  bull  came  into  view,  pawing  the  earth 
and  adding  his  hoarse  bellow  to  the  uproar.  Only 
then,  when  thoroughly  frightened,  did  the  boy  desist 
from  his  struggles,  having  in  reality  conquered  his 
parents  on  this  as  on  all  previous  occasions.  Such  was 
the  sickening  culmination  of  three  years'  effort  on  the 
part  of   scholarly,   "progressive"   parents  to  rear  an 


Discipline  45 

active  boy  on  the  soul-destroying  principle  of  "Never 
say  don't  to  a  child;  never  say  must  to  a  child;  never, 
oh,  never,  spank  a  helpless  child." 

The  father  should  take  a  hand  in  the  disciplining 
of  boys,  which  should  not  be  left  entirely  to  the  mother. 
It  is  pitiable  but  true  that  an  intelligent  boy  very  early 
learns  to  be  a  bit  cynical  about  a  woman's  discernment. 
The  mother  is  naturally  soft-hearted ;  her  very  makeup 
increases  the  difficulty  of  her  being  effectively  strict 
and  just,  but  no  matter  how  intelligent,  earnest,  capa- 
ble, and  strong-willed  she  may  be,  the  boy  will  never 
have  the  same  regard  for  her  wisdom  and  authority 
as  for  the  father's.  It  is  the  same  with  women  teach- 
ers. Every  boy,  from  the  age  of  ten  onward,  should 
be  taught  by  men,  but  there  is  little  use  in  discussing 
men  teachers  at  a  time  when  real  men  look  askance 
at  the  profession  because  they  do  not  fancy  the  task 
of  Sisyphus. 

Unfortunately,  a  good  many  fathers  leave  the  work 
of  bringing  up  the  boys  entirely  to  the  mother,  because, 
as  they  say,  they  do  not  like  to  be  bothered  when  they 
come  home  tired  from  business.  Therefore,  their  most 
important  duty  is  shelved,  naughtiness  is  hidden  or 
glossed  over,  and  soon  the  lad  is  beyond  all  control 
and  bounds.  It  is  very  nice  on  the  mother's  part  not 
to  bother  the  father  about  the  children's  doings  during 
the  day,  but,  after  all,  he  should  be  cognizant  of  that 
which  is  going  to  have  such  a  potent  influence  on  the 
children's  future  good.  No  sacrifice  is  too  great  when 
this  is  considered.  How  fortunate  is  the  boy  who 
grows  up  under  his  father's  vigilant  eye! 

Should  obedience  be  required  only  when  the  child 
understands  why  a  command  is  given?    No.    This  is 


46       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

contrary  to  the  laws  of  mind-growth.  Obedience  is  an 
acquired  habit  and  should  be  fairly  established  long 
before  the  mind  is  ready  for  explanations  connecting 
facts.  Mere  exhortations  to  be  good  and  obedient  are 
ineffective.  You  cannot  produce  understanding  by 
words  alone.  The  child  needs  the  support  of  authority. 
Authority,  the  cause,  and  obedience,  the  effect,  demon- 
strate the  law  and  principle  of  causality  in  all  our 
doings,  our  happiness,  our  sufferings.  Docility  and 
willing  recognition  of  authority  are  the  substructure 
of  successful  learning.  If  his  pupils  lack  these,  the 
best  teacher  will  fail. 

Many  an  intelligent  child,  although  willing  and 
eager  to  learn,  fails  in  school  because  he  has  not  been 
taught  to  do  exactly  as  he  is  told.  He  may  be  quite 
willing  to  do  the  thing  as  far  as  the  mind  is  concerned, 
but  if  the  body  be  undisciplined  it  will  obstruct  the  best 
intentions.  Unconsciously  he  resists  instruction.  Good 
intentions,  according  to  Dante,  are  the  paving  stones 
on  the  way  to  Hell.  Training  compels  the  sluggish 
and  resisting  body  to  answer  the  rulings  of  the  willing 
spirit. 

A  child  can  understand  explanations  and  draw  con- 
clusions concerning  only  those  things  which  come 
within  the  scope  of  experience,  which  is  a  compara- 
tively limited  area,  but  it  cannot  reason  about  all  the 
facts  within  this  area.  Reasoning  power  is  the  result- 
ant of  experience  and  training,  and  calls  for  the  ability 
to  measure  and  connect  facts,  to  estimate  and  compare 
values,  and  to  draw  conclusions.  How,  then,  can  a 
child  reason  soundly  when,  to  begin  with,  it  is  uncon- 
scious of  facts?  In  the  infant's  world  everything  is 
magnified  and  exaggerated.     Tables  are  higher  than 


Discipline  47 

its  head;  days  are  longer  than  years  will  be  later  on; 
grown-ups  are  a  separate  race  and  twenty  is  hopelessly 
old ;  deeds  are  good  or  bad  according  to  the  effect  pro- 
duced; wrong  consists  in  being  found  out.  The  child 
has  its  own  way  of  understanding,  for  which  we  can- 
not successfully  substitute  our  own.  "Teddy,  did  you 
throw  that  poor  kitten  into  the  cistern?'*  Teddy 
looks  up  with  a  speculative  eye.  "Aunt  Sally,  (if) 
you  saw  me  done  it,  me  done  it;  (if)  you  didn't  see 
me  done  it,  me  didn't." 

It  is  a  serious  thing  to  put  upon  a  young  child  the 
responsibility  of  making  decisions,  which  is  a  burden 
for  a  grown  person,  and  which  often  results  in  down- 
right illness  1  Yet  a  little  child  is  put  to  it  to  make 
twenty  decisions  a  day.  Shall  he  do  this,  or  that? 
And  when  he  has  finally  decided,  it  is  not  after  all 
what  he  wanted,  and  he  must  have  twenty  more  strug- 
gles to  get  his  own  way  about  it.  A  child  is  never 
so  happy  and  contented  as  when  he  finds  himself 
relieved  from  the  necessity  of  deciding  whether  or  not 
he  will  obey,  by  having  it  decided  for  him,  even  through 
the  instrumentality  of  a  switch  or  birch.  This  ex- 
plains why  a  delicate  child  is  often  set  on  the  road  to 
health  through  the  setting  up  of  the  simple  process  of 
rigid  discipline. 

The  majority  of  children  are  intelligent.  They  even 
have  a  healthy  recognition  of  their  own  immaturity 
and  lack  of  understanding.  "I  do  not  know ;  I  am  only 
a  little  girl."  But  this  intelligence,  valuable  as  it  is, 
must  not  be  mistaken  for  the  ability  to  reason  soundly 
about  right  and  wrong,  truth  and  duty.  The  little 
child  knows  right  from  wrong  only  by  the  way  his 
elders  judge  of  it;  the  parents'  examples  and  precepts 


48       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

are  his  guide.  "When  I  was  a  child,  I  thought  as  a 
child,"  and  this  is  as  it  should  be.  Children  should  not 
be  treated  as  grown  people,  for  it  is  unfair  as  well  as 
foolish  to  place  an  old  head  on  young  shoulders.  Were 
we  indeed  able  to  substitute  our  words  for  individual 
experience,  we  would  circumvent  a  kindly  Providence 
in  thus  letting  the  child  grow  old  by  leaps  and  bounds. 
Autumn  fruits  do  not  belong  to  the  springtime,  and 
even  when  the  child  is  physically  strong,  we  should  not 
expect  of  him  skill  or  tasks  beyond  his  years. 

"But  when  the  same  ends  can  be  attained  by  per- 
suasion," someone  asks,  "why  insist  upon  old-fash- 
ioned submission  to  authority?"  The  same  ends  can- 
not be  attained  by  persuasion.  Persuasion  is  often 
deceptively  effective  for  the  moment,  but  when  it  fails, 
it  fails  disastrously.  The  child  obeys  because  his  intel- 
ligence shows  him  that  obedience  is  advantageous,  and 
he  pretends  to  be  convinced  when  he  has  only  been  out- 
talked.  With  each  passing  year  a  little  more  explana- 
tion and  persuasion  become  a  necessary  preface  to  each 
request.  Even  at  twelve  or  sixteen  a  child  cannot 
fully  understand  why  a  certain  companionship  or 
recreation  is  forbidden;  yet  for  the  safety  of  soul 
and  body  he  must  submit  to  parental  authority  and  be 
content  to  do  so.  Wordy  explanations  confuse  even 
adults,  and  the  child  grasps  only  one  tenth  of  our 
exhortations  and  distorts  even  that,  drawing  conclu- 
sions which  are  all  too  often  the  reverse  of  what  we 
intend.  One  little  girl  wept  before  the  painting  of 
the  Christian  martyrs,  because  "one  poor  little  lion 
didn't  have  any  martyr."  A  teacher  felt  flattered  by 
a  young  culprit's  breathless  attention  to  her  prolonged 
plea  for  reform,  until  at  the  first  pause  she  was  asked : 


Discipline  49 

"Say,  when  you  talk,  is  it  your  upper  or  your  lower 
jaw  that  moves?" 

So  much  for  reasoning  things  out  with  children. 
Naturally,  one  should  not  give  a  command  without 
having  a  reason  therefore,  but  to  have  a  reason  and  to 
obtain  compliance  from  one's  child  through  explana- 
tions, are  two  very  different  things.  "Because  mother 
knows  best,"  should  settle  the  matter.  To  rely  upon 
the  child's  judgment  to  choose  obedience  is  dangerous, 
for  if,  after  all  your  reasoning,  the  child's  opposition 
is  not  overcome,  nothing  is  left  but  to  assert  your 
authority.  How  much  better  that  authority  should 
be  taken  for  granted! 

The  old-fashioned  method  of  treating  disobedience 
with  a  spanking  or  a  switching  has  undoubtedly  a  cer- 
tain aspect  of  brutality,  but  if  you  want  to  view  it  in 
that  light  every  single  example  of  punishment  has  in 
it  something  unjust.  The  thing  to  do  is  to  weigh 
such  objections  against  the  outcome  of  failure  to  pun- 
ish adequately  and  effectively.  For  Jimmy,  that  meant 
being  gored  by  the  bull,  and  prisons  and  madhouses 
are  often  the  destination  of  the  poor  wretches  whose 
parents  thought  spanking  brutal. 

Perhaps  my  reader  is  one  of  the  countless  mothers 
who  are  eating  their  hearts  out  in  trying  to  train  an 
unruly  boy  without  resort  to  the  rod.  You  may  as 
well  give  up.  It  can  be  done  with  witless,  inactive,  and 
sluggish  children,  but  not  with  children  who  are  alive 
from  head  to  toe.  For  delinquencies  between  the  ages 
of  two  and  four,  use  a  small  birch  switch  or  a  limber 
corset  steel.  Attempts  at  "reasoning"  are  not  only 
futile;  they  tend  to  make  the  child  nervous  and  de- 
pressed, whereas  as  a  curative  and  preventive  a  switch- 


50       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

ing  is  instantly  effective,  for  it  excludes  the  probability 
of  tantrums  that  follow  in  the  wake  of  solitary  punish- 
ment, scolding,  sitting  on  a  chair,  and  such  enfeebling 
makeshifts.  It  is  the  best  remedy  for  "No,  I  won't." 
The  physical  sting  is  a  counter-irritant  for  naughti- 
ness and  leaves  the  child  wonderfully  sweetened,  docile, 
and  serene. 

Tying  in  a  chair,  shutting  up  in  a  dark  room,  and 
such  irritating  teasings  are  much  more  likely  to  breed 
resentment  than  is  a  smart  little  switching  or  spanking, 
which  the  child  understands  perfectly,  and  which  is  a 
help  to  memory  as  much  as  a  punishment.  No  one 
likes  to  inflict  pain  on  a  child,  but  a  judicious  switch- 
ing causes  no  real  pain,  though  to  produce  a  lasting 
impression  it  must  momentarily  sting  or  smart.  How 
often  have  children  of  six  or  thereabouts  confided  to 
their  chums  that  they  would  rather  have  a  spanking 
than  be  scolded  all  the  time,  often  adding  that  a  spank- 
ing is  over  in  a  minute,  but  you  don't  forget  it. 

An  objection  to  any  form  of  prolonged  or  cruelly 
elongated  punishment  is  that  it  almost  amounts  to  try- 
ing titles  for  strength  or  endurance  with  the  child. 
Some  parents  will  tie  up  a  child  to  the  table-leg,  stipu- 
lating that  it  must  stay  there  until  it  is  sorry,  or  until 
it  is  sure  it  will  not  forget,  etc.  The  child  feels  and 
acts  defiant.  It  screams  and  fights  and  plans  what  it 
will  do  when  it  is  old  enough  to  retaliate,  whereas  a 
switching,  thoroughly  administered,  humbles  the  child 
to  a  proper  state  of  docility  without  leaving  rancor.  I 
write  at  this  length  because  so  much  is  being  preached 
about  the  cruelty  of  corporal  punishment  at  home  and 
in  school,  with  the  result  that  our  courts  and  jails  are 
crowded  with  young  criminals,  bred  through  laxity 


Discipline  51 

of  discipline,  coaxed  where  they  should  have  been  com- 
manded, "interested"  instead  of  being  made  to  work. 

Be  sure  of  yourself,  never  act  until  you  know  you 
are  in  the  right,  but  when  you  punish,  punish  thor- 
oughly. If  the  child  is  stubborn  or  resentful,  it  is 
because  you  have  given  him  a  mere  tickling;  he  has 
not  felt  the  sting.  Make  the  child  do  as  he  is  told.  A 
second  refusal  must  be  instantly  followed  by  a  second 
switching.  You  must  not  allow  the  child  to  conquer 
you.  Pay  no  attention  to  the  insidious  nonsense  that 
the  child  is  "educating  himself*  when  he  is  struggling 
to  get  his  own  way.  Do  your  duty.  As  the  children 
get  older,  we  should  have  got  them  to  understand  that 
pimishment  naturally  follows  wrongdoing.  The,  child 
who  dawdles  over  dressing  should  find  that  he  is  too 
late  for  the  expected  walk  or  other  coveted  pleasure; 
he  who  leaves  toys  about  is  too  young  to  have  them ;  he 
who  is  bad-mannered  at  table  should  be  instantly  re- 
moved so  that  others  shall  not  be  annoyed;  the  selfish 
child  must  play  alone ;  the  child  who  is  fretful  or  who 
cries  without  cause  needs  rest  in  a  quiet  room. 

As  a  guide  in  deciding  when  a  young  child  should 
be  corrected  for  something  done  or  omitted,  and  when 
it  is  best  to  ignore  it,  let  us  ask  ourselves :  Would  such 
an  incident  or  such  a  trait  be  objectionable  five  years 
from  to-day?  And  if  we  feel  sure  that  it  would  be 
objectionable,  it  calls  for  correction  and  suppression 
and  we  must  make  up  our  minds  that  the  opportune 
time  to  act  is  now.  We  must  always  be  on  the  alert 
so  to  measure,  and  decide  when  to  act  and  when  to 
ignore.  Give  only  such  commands  as  must  be  given 
and  then  enforce  them. 

Punishment,  however,  is  only  one  phase  of  child 


52        Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

management.  It  will  be  readily  seen  how  much  the 
physical  well-being  of  a  young  child  has  to  do  with  its 
disposition  and  behavior.  Health  and  bodily  comfort, 
good  physical  habits,  exercise,  food,  drink,  properly 
fitting  garments,  occupation — any  one  of  these  will 
make  the  difference  between  a  good  and  a  ^*bad"  child. 
When  baby  gets  tired,  hungry,  thirsty,  or  sleepy,  it 
gets  "cross"  and  naughty,  and  it  is  upset  by  unusual 
excitement  or  too  much  attention.  Do  not  let  a  young 
child  go  too  long  without  food,  for  even  with  a  grown 
person  that  weak  feeling  in  the  stomach  loosens  self- 
control.  If  breakfast  is  early  and  dinner  at  noon,  there 
should  be  a  snack  between  ten  and  eleven,  otherwise 
the  child  becomes  ravenous  and  naturally  naughty. 
One  slice  of  bread  and  butter,  an  apple,  or  a  glass  of 
milk,  will  do.  Let  there  be  no  sweets,  for  too  much 
sugar  is  one  of  the  deadly  destroyers  of  a  child's  nerves 
and  discipline.  In  the  afternoon,  a  nap  almost  takes 
the  place  of  a  lunch. 

Do  your  teaching  and  your  disciplining  in  the  morn- 
ing, when  the  child  is  most  impressionable,  rather  than 
at  the  wane  of  day.  A  little  child  works  hard,  harder 
than  we.  He  gets  charged  wtih  a  skinful  of  poisons, 
his  nerves  are  tingling,  and  towards  nightfall  he  is 
irritable  and  primed  for  trouble.  I  have  known  moth- 
ers who  would  start  late  in  the  afternoon  to  wrangle 
with  a  child  and  keep  it  up  until  both  were  exhausted. 
If  ever  naughtiness  or  fretfulness  is  to  be  overlooked, 
it  should  be  late  in  the  day,  but  this  overlooking  must 
not  be  done  if  the  child  is  conscious  of  it.  Change  the 
whole  milieu  by  a  little  fun,  a  game,  a  story,  a  drink 
of  water  (be  sure  the  children  get  water  often),  a  little 
petting  and  cuddling,  or  even  by  a  tepid  bath  and  by 


Discipline  S3 

calling  on  the  sandman  for  help.  But  in  the  morning, 
do  not  stand  any  nonsense.  The  first  thing  to  make 
sure  of  is  that  the  child  has  plenty  to  do.  Think  ahead 
and  in  the  trouble-brewing  period  provide  employment 
of  some  kind.  See  that  he  has  toys,  sticks  with  which 
to  build  a  log  house,  or  any  kind  of  make-believe. 

Before  you  tell  a  child  to  do  a  thing,  carefully  con- 
sider whether  he  is  able  to  do  it,  then  say  simply,  do 
that  thing  and  see  that  it  is  done  without  any  remon- 
strance on  his  part. 

If  anybody  is  present  at  such  lessons,  brook  no  inter- 
ference of  any  kind.  Put  your  child's  welfare  before 
any  considerations  of  so-called  politeness.  Whoever 
in  the  child's  presence  criticizes  the  mother's  or  the 
father's  instructions  or  doings  is  consciously  or  uncon- 
sciously an  emissary  of  the  Evil  One. 

"Jack,  come  to  mother."  "Now,  go  to  the  door." 
"Now,  come  to  mother."  "Now,  lay  this  newspaper 
on  the  table."  Such  are  the  simple  lessons  that 
will  engender  ready  and  unquestioning  obedience,  if 
thoughtfully  and  simply  given  and  patiently  and  firmly 
enforced.  Do  not  give  two  commands  in  one,  but  just 
one,  simple  and  plain. 

The  child's  first  resistance  to  authority  is  playful; 
he  pretends  he  is  going  to  do  a  forbidden  thing.  But 
do  not  allow  even  a  young  child  to  run  from  you  when 
called.  It  is  not  a  wise  way  to  play  with  a  child,  and 
later  you  must  punish  for  the  very  trait  you  have 
inculcated. 

Give  training  in  order  and  regularity.  Let  each 
child  have  a  special  nail  or  hook  within  reach  for  coat 
and  cap,  and  make  him  hang  these  up  when  he 
comes  in,  seeing  that  he  does  do  it  every  time,  not  occa- 


54       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-M other 

sionally.  This  hanging  up  their  things  is  a  very  good 
lesson  to  start  with.  When  they  have  learned  that  this 
must  be  done  every  time,  they  will  be  ready  to  do  other 
things  as  bidden,  and  their  education  will  have  made 
some  progress  in  the  right  direction. 

The  first  lesson  that  a  baby  should  be  taught  is 
"Stop!'*  "Don't  touch!"  Whatever  you  tell  a  child 
not  to  do  is  negative  education,  which  directs  the  child's 
natural  and  instructive  activation.  This  is  followed 
by  human  and  humane  activity,  the  outcome  of  posi- 
tive education,  which  instructs  the  child  what  to  do. 
In  teaching  "Don't  touch,"  it  is  necessary,  in  order 
to  make  clear  your  meaning,  to  smack  the  little  hands 
when  they  seize  upon  or  do  the  thing  forbidden.  When 
thus  taught  from  babyhood  the  child  will  have  learned 
to  obey  when  he  reaches  the  age  of  four. 

To  make  a  child  do  what  it  is  bidden  to  do  is  more 
difficult.  Refraining  from  what  is  forbidden,  which 
is  an  act  of  self-control,  is  difficult  enough  at  first, 
but  it  is  a  simple  process,  whereas  the  doing  of  what 
it  is  told  is  complex  and  the  teaching  takes  a  world  of 
patience.  Just  as  it  is  natural  for  a  healthy,  normal 
child  to  do  what  it  is  forbidden  to  do,  so  is  it  for  the 
same  child  to  refuse  doing  what  it  is  bidden  to  do. 
It  is  the  exacting,  and  sometimes  painful  duty  of  the 
parents  to  make  the  child  control  itself  in  these  direc- 
tions through  being  controlled. 

Guard  against  giving  a  command  until  you  have 
with  sincere  satisfaction  to  yourself  answered  the 
following  questions: 

Is  it  necessary? 

Am  I  going  to  make  the  child  obey? 

If  he  refuses,  what  shall  I  do? 


Discipline  55 

Does  this  command  conflict  with  any  other  com- 
mand or  injunction? 

Give  your  commands  in  clear,  unmistakable  words 
and  make  the  child  understand  what  you  mean.  If  he 
refuses  to  obey,  act  at  once,  without  threatening  or 
promising.  The  less  you  talk  about  disobedience  and 
the  less  you  threaten  the  better.  While  parental  author- 
ity is  right  and  natural,  it  is  the  loser  by  being  talked 
about.  Do  not  discuss  spankings  or  other  forms  of 
punishment.  Simply  be  everlastingly  alive  to  the  need 
of  patience  and  persistence  on  your  part,  until  the  very 
last  vestige  of  procrastination  is  broken  up.  Do  not 
tell  Jean  to  go  to  bed  until  you  mean  that  she  shall  go, 
but  do  not  then  allow  an  instant's  temporizing.  She 
should  put  Teddy  down  at  once,  without  a  single 
attempt  at  evasion,  and  trot  off.  Otherwise  picture  to 
yourself  the  unseemly  clash  of  wills  that  must  take 
place  ten  years  hence. 

Now,  concerning  matters  other  than  obedience,  the 
why  and  wherefore  of  things  in  Nature  and  of  many 
doings,  explain  as  carefully  as  is  consistent  with  the 
child's  understanding.  Make  him  realize  that  there 
is  a  good  reason  for  all  good  things,  and  for  many 
things  which  we  cannot  regard  as  good.  Make  him  see 
by  your  example  that  grown-up  people  have  to  do  their 
work  whether  it  is  pleasurable  or  not,  that  you  may 
not  always  feel  like  getting  dinner,  but  that  it  must 
be  done.  Do  not  do  this  explaining  on  any  occasion 
when  the  child  wants  to  know  why  he  is  to  do  a  certain 
thing,  or  when  he  protests,  for  the  fewer  the  words 
then,  the  better,  but  when  he  is  working  around  with 
you,  these  things  may  be  told,  letting  him  draw  his 
own  conclusions  and  apply  them  to  himself. 


56       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

don'ts  to  be  observed  by  teacher-mothers 

Don't  scold.    Don't  nag. 

Don't  explain  too  much. 

Don't  talk  too  much. 

Don't  say  Don't  except  when  necessary. 

Don't  give  too  many  commands. 

Don't  depend  upon  reasoning  as  a  means  of  disciplin- 
ing young  children. 

Don't  beg  where  you  should  command. 

Don't  place  on  a  child  the  burden  of  making  decisions 
in  matters  which  surpass  his  understanding. 

Don't  lead  the  child  to  dogmatize  about  what  is  good 
or  what  is  bad. 

Don't  give  the  child  a  free  rein  because  "he  can  be 
yotmg  only  once." 

Don't  leave  it  to  the  school  to  correct  faults  of  char- 
acter. 

Don't  take  short-cuts. 

Don't  interfere  too  much  in  the  child's  play. 

Don't  make  liars  and  hypocrites  of  the  children  by 
enforcing  apologies  as  evidence  of  repentance. 

Don't  make  profuse  apologies  to  children  when  you 
find  yourself  in  the  wrong.  Simply  say:  "I  am 
sorry;  I  made  a  mistake."  This  should  be  a  suf- 
ficient acknowledgment. 

Don't  let  the  child  think,  "Oh,  that  is  good  enough," 
when  a  thing  is  not  done  as  well  as  he  can  do  it, 
but  use  reason  and  measure  in  all  things. 

Don't  expect  a  good  habit  to  take  hold  instantly. 

Don't  remind  a  child  of  past  punishments  as  a  warning 
against  misconduct.     Face  each  new  day  anew. 

Don't  carry  the  matter  of  discipline  too  far.     There 


Discipline  57 

must  be  some  elasticity.  But  between  two  ex- 
tremes, choose  that  it  shall  be  too  hard  rather 
than  too  soft. 

DO*S 

Make  the  child  adapt  himself  to  actual  conditions. 
Make  him  practice  self-denial. 
Make  him  work  without  loss  of  time. 
Make  him  think  before  he  speaks. 
Make  him  answer  the  question  he  is  asked,  not  the 
one  he  had  hoped  would  be  asked. 

Lay  down  the  law  to  your  children,  but  do  not  mor- 
alize. They  love  you  and  will  readily  obey  you  if  your 
commands  are  simple  and  just. 

If  each  home  were  the  center  of  law  and  order,  we 
would  have  a  happy,  orderly  state.  There  would  be 
neither  prisons  nor  poorhouses,  and  less  need  for 
schoolhouses  or  insane  asylums.  If  every  child  were 
taught  at  home  to  be  orderly,  punctual,  obedient,  help- 
ful, he  would  know  how  to  work,  to  mind,  to  attend, 
to  listen.  If  he  were  then  further  taught  to  read  and 
write,  and  to  like  helpful  reading,  this  would  be  almost 
sufficient  in  most  cases;  in  the  remaining  cases,  the 
individual  would  seek  for  himself  such  learning  as  his 
predilections  and  inheritance  make  desirable  for  him. 
Each  would  be  permitted  to  develop  to  his  full  height 
instead  of  being  sent  into  a  schoolroom  where  his  speed 
may  be  restricted  to  that  of  the  slowest  members. 


CHAPTER  V 

DISCIPLINE :     HABITS 

Habit  means  an  ease  in  exercising  those  powers 
and  aptitudes  which  we  possess  the  day  we  are  born. 
What  one  does  often  one  is  led  to  do  easily  and  nat- 
urally, with  growing  skill  and  certainty,  and  there  is 
thus  developed  our  characteristic  behavior,  in  which  it 
is  scarcely  possible  to  distinguish  what  is  natural  from 
what  is  habitual.  Habit  is  second  nature  and  in  time 
overmasters  nature.  The  source  of  habit  is  deep  down 
in  the  very  foundations  of  the  understanding.  It 
involves  all  the  faculties:  the  memory,  the  power  of 
thinking,  the  will,  and  the  emotions.  Its  growth  pro- 
duces a  uniform  and  steadfast  alteration  in  the  nerv- 
ous system  which  is  shown  in  two  ways,  increased 
power  of  performance  and  increased  power  of  resist- 
ance. 

The  process  of  education  may  be  defined  as  the 
growth  of  new  powers,  in  other  words,  the  formation 
of  habits.  To  understand  the  nature  and  laws  of 
habit  is  to  understand  the  principles  of  successful 
teaching;  hence,  to  be  successful,  all  education  must 
be  conducted  in  conformity  with  the  maxims  that 
govern  the  formation  of  habits,  which  has  been  called 
''the  power  of  retentiveness."  For  some  habits  a 
greater  amount  of  practice  is  necessary  than  for  oth- 
ers, for  example,  piano-playing  compared  with  type- 
writing.   In  order  to  acquire  new  powers,  much  more 

58 


Discipline:  Habits  59 

repetition  is  necessary  for  some  persons  than  for  oth- 
ers, a  fact  which  is  illustrated  in  every  family.  Other 
points  quite  as  important  for  the  mother  to  bear  in 
mind  are,  first,  that  the  individual  is  much  more  sus- 
ceptible to  habit- formation  during  early  childhood  than 
in  any  later  period,  and  second,  that  exercises  to  pro- 
mote habit-growth  are  productive  only  when  right 
bodily  conditions  prevail. 

There  is  nothing  in  human  makeup  more  striking 
than  the  young  child's  adaptability  to  habit-making. 
With  every  atom  of  bodily  or  mental  effort,  each 
glance  of  the  eye,  each  movement  of  a  muscle,  he  is 
making  or  immaking  a  habit,  which  emphasizes  our 
twofold  responsibility  in  equipping  him  so  that  his  soul 
may  reach  the  greatest  heights  it  can  attain.  This  two- 
fold responsibility  involves  training  him  so  that  in  his 
efforts  to  rise  he  shall  not  be  weighted  down  by  bad 
habits,  and  so  drilling  him  that  ordinary  matters  may 
be  relegated  to  the  lower  nerve  centers,  leaving  the 
intellect  free  for  pioneering.  The  teacher-mother's 
first  concern  should  be  what  acts  to  check  before  they 
become  habitual  and  what  habits  to  cultivate. 

The  school  cannot  make  habits  in  children,  for  the 
habits  of  school  children  are  already  made.  The  time 
to  establish  fundamental  habits  is  during  that  period 
when  child  nature  hungers  for  repetition  and  regu- 
larity, however  irksome  it  may  be  for  the  mother  to 
insure  such  regularity.  On  the  basis  of  correct  habits 
ingrained  during  the  first  seven  years  of  life  should 
be  built  moral  habits:  reverence,  truthfulness,  honest 
dealing,  contentment,  passive  and  active  courage,  which 
will  be  discussed  elsewhere.  Our  present  concern  is 
with  that  early  plastic  period  when  parental  authority 


6o       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

is  most  easily  and  naturally  exerted,  since  it  is  the 
main  factor  in  habit-making. 

**0f  course  I  want  my  child  to  form  correct  habits," 
says  a  mother,  "but  if  I  compel  him  to  do  even  these 
necessary  things,  am  I  not  weakening  his  will  by  thus 
going  constantly  against  his  inclinations?"  No,  for 
inclination  is  not  properly  a  part  of  willing.  Com- 
pared with  habit,  the  human  will,  and  even  human 
reasoning,  are  pitifully  weak.  Besides,  a  strong  will, 
as  opposed  to  mere  stubbornness  and  wrong-headed- 
ness,  is  based  on  the  ability  to  reason  about  right  and 
wrong,  and  this  ability  does  not  develop  until  after  our 
characteristic  habits  are  already  formed.  A  child's 
wilfulness  is  not  will  at  all,  but  lack  of  restraint. 

Every  time,  you  make  a  child  do  the  right  thing  you 
are  strengthening  the  habit  of  doing  that  thing.  This 
holds  true  whether  the  initial  doing  is  pleasurable  or 
the  reverse.  As  soon  as  the  act  becomes  habitual,  it 
thereby  becomes  agreeable  and  the  reverse  correspond- 
ingly disagreeable.  Look  where  you  please,  you  will 
find  evidence  of  this  amazing  adaptability  of  the  human 
system  to  a  compulsory  mode  of  life,  typified  by  Chil- 
lon's  prisoner,  who  learned  to  love  his  chains.  Chil- 
dren can  get  accustomed  to  anything.  You  can  teach 
them  to  love  a  life  of  order  and  cleanliness  only  by 
compelling  them  to  do  the  things  that  contribute  to 
such  a  life.  Compulsion  is  a  proper  and  necessary  part 
of  habit-training,  but  the  more  good  sense  is  used  the 
less  force  is  necessary.  If  punishment  has  to  be  fre- 
quently or  systematically  resorted  to,  there  is  some- 
thing wrong  with  either  the  child  or  with  the  environ- 
ment. 

To  have  a  regular  daily  schedule  and  abide  by  it 


Discipline:  Habits  6i 

makes  the  work  of  child  training  simple  and  compara- 
tively easy.  Order  is  heaven's  first  law.  The  whole 
universe  moves  on  schedule  time.  The  birds  come  back 
to  us  on  time  in  the  spring ;  the  sun  and  moon  and  stars 
rise  and  set  on  time.  Indeed,  so  orderly  and  prompt  are 
the  heavenly  bodies  in  their  movements  that  wise  men 
can  calculate  for  thousands  of  years  ahead  the  date 
and  the  exact  time  of  day  when  the  earth's  face  will 
be  darkened  by  the  shadow  of  the  moon.  The  same 
natural  law  that  keeps  the  stars  in  their  places  ought 
to  regulate  the  daily  life  of  the  household  in  its  larger 
aspects.  Child  nature  is  very  sensitive  to  changes; 
even  the  infant  demands  regularity  and  unconsciously 
rebels  against  a  broken  schedule.  "Gadding  about," 
idleness,  and  the  proneness  to  disobedience  resulting 
therefrom  very  often  spring  from  a  lack  of  carefully 
planned  occupation,  from  not  knowing  "what  comes 
next,"  from  not  having  a  regular  program  strictly 
enforced. 

From  the  age  of  three  every  child  should  have  some 
little  daily  responsibilities  of  which  he  should  be  re- 
minded at  the  proper  time,  for  a  child's  time-sense  is 
weak  and  he  often  confuses  morning  and  afternoon, 
especially  after  a  nap.  Children  are  healthier  and  hap- 
pier when  usefully  employed,  and  need  carefully 
planned  physical  tasks.  There  must  be  regular  work, 
from  the  regular  performance  of  which  there  is  no 
escape,  and  such  tasks  as  must  be  done  every  day 
should  be  done  at  the  same  hour  every  day  and  in  the 
same  order.  There  can  be  no  successful  teaching  from 
books  until  the  child  has  been  trained  by  the  daily 
round  of  tasks  and  duties  to  know  that  "do  it"  means 
exertion  to  the  point  of  accomplishment. 


62       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

Draw  up  a  good  daily  program  and  keep  it  up  with- 
out too  much  in  the  way  of  diversion.  Make  your 
children  conform  to  it.  Get  the  cooperation  of  your 
family  and  start  in  at  once;  not  too  radically  at  first, 
for  you  would  not  be  able  to  keep  that  up.  Be  reso- 
lute; do  not  attempt  too  many  new  things  at  a  time; 
do  not  undertake  to  cure  all  the  family  faults  at  once; 
do  not  discuss  with  the  children  the  change  that  is  to 
take  place,  but  carry  out  your  plans  and  make  them 
abide  by  them;  establish  one  new  habit  or  practice 
before  introducing  another.  Have  certain  hours  for 
those  unavoidable  activities  of  every  day,  such  as  rising, 
meals,  cleaning,  going  to  bed.  A  great  time-saver  for 
every  member  of  the  household,  children  included,  is 
the  certain  knowledge  that  meals  will  always  be  on 
time,  and  to  have  them  so  is  less  troublesome  than  not. 
Do  not  struggle  with  details  at  first,  but  put  all  your 
energy  into  planning  systematic  work  and  play,  lessons, 
and  recreation.  Get  the  schedule  running  smoothly, 
so  that  each  individual  member  of  the  family  has  a 
time  for  each  thing  and  begins  forming  or  perfecting 
the  habit  of  doing  things  on  time.  When  that  is  accom- 
plished, it  will  be  easy  to  work  out  details. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  possible  to  go  too  far  in 
systematizing  life,  to  become  punctilious.  I  have 
known  people  who  would  even  plan  every  moment  of 
time  for  a  guest  down  to  the  quarter-hours.  When  a 
schedule  is  once  running  with  perfect  smoothness,  I 
would  not  hesitate  to  disturb  it  if  a  bigger  thing  is 
involved.  If,  for  instance,  I  had  to  choose  between 
making  my  beds  on  time  or  having  a  conversation  with 
an  unexpected  old  friend,  the  beds  should  wait,  but  I 
would  squeeze  in  the  time  for  making  the  beds  with- 


Discipline:  Habits  63 

out  disturbing  the  rest  of  the  household.  Good  man- 
agement easily  overcomes  such  welcome  interruptions. 

When  children  awake,  they  should  not  lie  in  bed  but 
get  up,  dress,  and  busy  themselves  at  whatever  is  suit- 
able. Never  allow  them  to  read  or  to  play  in  bed,  for 
the  practice  of  allowing  a  healthy  child  to  lie  in  bed 
until  it  pleases  him  to  get  up  may  mar  his  whole  after 
life  and  create  serious  difficulties  for  him  and  others. 
As  soon  as  children  are  able  to  use  their  arms  and 
fingers,  they  should  become  accustomed  to  dress  them- 
selves, and  sickness  alone  should  excuse  them  from 
this.  Insist  that  dressing  and  undressing  be  done  in 
good  order  and  that  propriety  is  indispensable.  Can 
your  children  put  on  their  shoes  and  stockings  while 
standing,  first  on  one  foot  and  then  on  the  other? 
Have  them  take  pride  in  doing  this,  just  as  they  would 
in  any  form  of  athletics.  This  one  little  daily  perform- 
ance is  powerful,  for  its  size,  in  offsetting  slothful 
tendencies  and  in  arousing  sluggish  dispositions.  Cor- 
rect slovenly  practices,  such  as  allowing  a  child  to 
remain  in  the  bathtub  for  half  an  hour  or  so,  which 
leads  to  other  slovenly  and  naughty  habits  of  body  and 
mind.  Break  up  the  practice  of  dawdling  at  dressing. 
When  the  boy,  after  being  duly  warned,  does  not  get 
dressed  on  time,  surprise  him  with  a  switch  on  the  bare 
skin.  If  he  knows  that  this  may  be  expected  every 
morning,  you  will  see  a  modern  miracle  worked. 

The  child's  nap  should  be  carefully  regulated  by 
the  mother  and  should  on  no  account  be  left  to  his 
caprices.  He  should  be  sent  to  bed  at  a  certain  time 
and  made  to  lie  there  quietly  for  a  stated  period,  and 
if  he  refuses  to  do  this,  punish  him  promptly,  without 
lengthy  explanation.     Simply  tell  him  that  he  must 


64       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

do  as  he  is  told.  He  understands  very  well  when  he 
is  disobeying  in  such  a  matter. 

Make  the  child  finish  each  and  every  suitable  task 
given,  in  spite  of  any  difficulties  he  may  encounter. 
Do  not  call  him  from  one  task  to  another,  nor  allow 
him  to  leave  a  task  unfinished  in  order  to  play.  Make 
him  do  even  the  simplest  tasks  in  the  right  way.  Such 
tasks  are :  closing  doors  and  drawers  gently ;  straight- 
ening things  in  disorder,  as  a  rug,  books  on  a  shelf, 
and  so  on,  picking  up  things  carelessly  thrown  about, 
as  matches  on  the  floor,  and  the  like,  hanging  cap  and 
coat  each  on  its  individual  hook,  scraping  shoes  on  the 
mat  or  scraper  before  coming  indoors,  eating  without 
mussing  about  the  food,  washing  hands  and  face  if 
necessary,  and  combing  hair  before  meals  and  before 
going  to  bed.  All  this  must  be  done  in  a  simple,  unpre- 
tentious, unaffected  way,  so  as  not  to  engender  fastidi- 
ousness, for  all  extremes  are  objectionable.  It  is  too 
much  to  expect  a  boy  of  eight  to  worry  about  patches 
of  Mother  Earth  on  neck  or  ears,  undue  concern  about 
such  trifles  being  an  indication  that  he  is  not  a  real 
boy.  Make  him  wash,  of  course,  but  do  not  bewail 
his  lack  of  interest  in  aesthetics  at  this  age. 

One  never  sees  a  child  with  a  single  bad  habit,  for 
the  reason  that  one  fault  uncorrected  leads  to  so  many 
others  that  before  long  all  good  traits  seem  to  be  hope- 
lessly smothered  in  a  wild  growth.  If  we  can  keep 
down  the  weeds  until  the  good  seed  gets  a  chance  to 
take  root  and  establish  itself,  the  work  of  the  teacher- 
mother  daily  becomes  easier.  Do  not  overlook  a  fault 
on  one  occasion  in  the  hope  that  it  will  not  occur  again, 
for  either  it  or  its  twin  sister  will.  When  children 
get  naughty,  intervene  with  rigor.    Little  by  little  sup- 


Discipline:  Habits  65 

press  all  those  things  which  they  must  not  do.  We 
shall  have  something  now  to  say  on  bad  habits  and 
their  correction  between  the  ages  of  two  or  three  and 
about  seven.  These  are  mainly  physical,  yet  so  closely 
are  they  interwoven  with  the  moral  and  mental  habits 
treated  in  later  chapters  that  the  separate  classification 
is  more  apparent  than  real. 

Do  not  allow  children  to  develop  an  aversion  to  any 
kind  of  wholesome  food,  but  make  them  eat  at  least  a 
small  portion  of  everything  that  in  your  judgment  is 
good  and  fit  for  them  to  have.  They  should  eat  what- 
ever mother  gives  them  to  eat,  simply  because  she  has 
chosen  and  provided  it,  and  every  healthy  and  well- 
reared  child  will  do  so.  If  matters  have  gone  so  far 
that  children  actually  cannot  eat  wholesome  food  some- 
body has  spoiled  them  and  is  responsible  for  it.  If  a 
whim  concerning  food  is  not  checked,  it  develops  into 
a  self -suggested  digestive  defect.  The  happiness  of 
many  has  been  frustrated  in  this  way  by  indulgence 
which  has  led  to  incurable  invalidism.  Without  plain, 
wholesome  food  the  internal  organs  refuse  to  work 
and  the  system  gets  clogged,  so,  dispensing  with  any 
preliminary  talking  or  cajoling,  give  the  child  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  the  vegetable  on  the  table  which  you  con- 
sider necessary  and  which,  as  you  know  from  previous 
experience,  he  is  going  to  refuse,  and  make  him  eat  it. 
Repeat  this  on  every  similar  occasion  and  after  a  little 
while  the  dislike  will  have  worn  off  and  the  quantity 
can  be  gradually  increased.  If  the  child  betrays  dislike 
of  a  certain  food,  do  not  talk  about  it,  or  coax,  but  sim- 
ply put  a  teaspoon ful  on  his  plate  and  tell  him  that 
he  must  eat  it  before  he  gets  anything  else.  What  to 
do  to  enforce  this  order  will  depend  somewhat  on  the 


66       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

way  he  acts,  for  it  will  not  be  easy,  but  the  situation 
must  be  faced,  and  the  earlier  the  better. 

You  will  probably  find  it  much  harder  to  discipline 
him  if  even  one  other  person  is  at  the  table,  for  a  child 
generally  learns  that  there  is  safety  in  numbers.  If  in 
the  presence  of  a  third  person  he  refuses  to  eat  such  a 
small  portion,  you  should  then  remove  him  and  the 
plate  of  food  to  another  room,  take  him  on  your  lap 
and  make  him  eat  it,  just  as  you  would  give  him  neces- 
sary medicine.  The  one  mouthful  or  two  will  not  be 
hard  to  deal  with,  but  if  he  is  out-and-out  stubborn,  I 
recommend  the  switch.  If  he  merely  protests,  "I 
can't,"  your  determination  to  make  him  eat  will  suf- 
fice.   The  first  struggle  will  be  the  hard  one. 

Do  not  bring  up  a  child  on  the  so-many-ounces-a- 
day  method,  or  the  three-meals-a-day  regime.  Who 
would  feed  little  chicks  on  the  same  plan  as  pullets  and 
cockerels?  Use  your  own  judgment  and  discretion, 
taking  actual  conditions  into  consideration.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  is  just  as  imwise  to  let  a  child  run  to  the 
bread-basket  or  cake-box  whenever  he  likes.  Try  to 
keep  the  happy  medium  between  irregularity  in  any 
shape  or  form  and  pedantic  punctiliousness. 

Sometimes  a  mother  is  distressed  by  the  discovery 
that  a  young  child  is  eating  whatever  he  happens  to 
pick  up,  and  is  forming  a  habit.  One  mother  writes 
of  a  three-year-old  child:  "He  eats  lint  and  fuzz  off 
blankets  or  wool  of  any  kind,  even  eating  the  sleeves 
out  of  his  nightgown.  I  have  tried  to  break  him,  but 
it  seems  impossible."  Now  a  child  is  likely  to  form 
any  kind  of  habit  and  the  chewing  of  lint,  etc.,  is 
simply  one  of  those  habits  that  children  form  if  you  let 
them.    A  child  of  three  will  naturally  crawl  about  the 


Discipline:  Habits  67 

floor  picking  up  anything  to  chew,  but  every  time  you 
see  him  do  it  smack  his  hands  sharply. 
Thumb-sucking. 

An  extremely  bad  habit  that  appears  at  an  early  age  \ 
is  thumb-sucking.  If  a  child  develops  it,  make  him 
sleep  in  coarse  thumbless  mittens  fastened  to  the  sleeves 
so  that  they  cannot  be  pulled  off,  and  if  necessary,  try 
this  also  during  the  day.  If  no  good  results  after  a 
reasonable  time,  make  a  paste  of  bitter  aloes  and  a 
little  water  and  put  some  of  it  under  his  nails.  The 
deterrent  taste  lasts  for  days  and  this  corrective  rarely 
fails.  Repeat  when  necessary,  but  if,  after  patient  and 
sufficiently  long  application,  the  outcome  seems  doubt- 
ful mix  some  Cayenne  pepper  or  a  few  drops  of  tabasco 
sauce  with  the  bitter  aloes.  If,  after  all,  thumb- 
sucking  has  become  a  habit,  it  is  not  the  child's  fault 
so  much  as  that  of  somebody  who  ought  to  have  de- 
tected it  in  its  earliest  stages,  when  it  could  have  been 
stopped  with  comparative  ease. 
Nail-biting. 

Nail-biting  is  a  cause  of  nervousness,  not  an  effect, 
and  begins  usually  at  a  later  age  than  thumb-sucking. 
It  saps  the  child's  energy  and  diverts  his  attention,  is 
unbecoming  and  unmannerly,  and  encourages  naughti-  t,/' 
ness  in  many  other  directions.  It  should  be  broken  up 
before  it  gets  to  be  a  habit.  This  and  the  allied  habit 
of  nail-picking,  regarded  from  a  purely  materialistic 
point  of  view,  involve  unshapely  fingers,  unhealthy 
nails,  a  slobbering  mouth,  and  an  altogether  unkissable 
child.  Bitter  aloes  may  be  used  in  this  case  as  a  re- 
minder. To  deprive  the  child  of  something  very  much 
coveted  whenever  the  nails  are  broken  usually  works, 
and  is  a  more  suitable  means  of  disciplining  him  than 


68       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

offering  a  reward  for  overcoming  the  habit.     Nature 
does  not  hold  out  rewards   for  obediences,  but  she 
makes  us  forego  pleasures  for  disobediences. 
Left'handedness. 

When  a  left-handed  child  comes  to  my  school,  I 
correct  the  objectionable  habit  by  making  him  take 
chalk,  pencil,  scissors,  hammer,  stick,  etc.,  in  his  right 
hand  every  time,  without  much  or  any  discussion,  sim- 
ply the  direction,  "Use  your  right  hand."  Sometimes 
it  takes  weeks,  sometimes  months,  but  there  is  no  real 
difficulty  if  you  keep  at  it,  and  the  highly  desirable 
result  makes  it  worth  while.  It  is  a  good  thing  for 
children  to  learn  early  that  they  can  do  practically  any- 
thing within  reason  that  they  set  out  to  do.  How  many 
accidentally  disabled  grown  persons  have  learned  to 
substitute  the  use  of  the  left  hand  for  that  of  the 
right !  It  is  true  that  left-handedness  is  caused  by  an 
abnormal  condition  in  the  right  hemisphere  of  the  cere- 
brum, but  by  early  and  patient  practice  the  defect  can 
be  overcome.  This  is  one  of  the  many  cases  where  the 
exertion  of  will  power  can  overcome  physical  defects 
or  abnormalities,  while  the  non-exertion  of  will  power 
may  develop  them. 
Temper. 

How  often  do  we  find  instances  of  a  little  child 
flying  into  a  passion  and  attempting  to  strike  its  mother 
when  corrected.  It  seems  almost  too  terrible  for  belief 
that  a  mother  should  find  herself  helpless  in  such  a  situ- 
ation and  wonder  if  possibly  she  herself  is  not  wrong 
in  attempting  to  "coerce"  a  child  of  five.  Let  a  mother 
who  awakens  to  such  a  situation  ask  herself  what  she 
will  have  to  face  when  her  daughter  is  ten,  twelve, 
fourteen,  sixteen,  and  wants  her  own  way  about  com- 


Discipline:  Habits  69 

panionship  that  is  dangerous  or  recreations  that  are 
sinful.  The  mother  who  allows  her  child  to  strike  her 
or  to  strike  at  her  is  unfit  to  have  the  care  of  dumb 
brutes,  not  to  speak  of  human  souls.  Punish  a  child 
for  the  very  first  exhibition  of  temper  towards  father 
or  mother,  and  it  will  quickly  learn  to  control  itself. 
Contradicting. 

A  child  is  prone  to  contradict;  the  tendency  is  as 
natural  as  teething,  but  it  can  and  should  be  broken  up 
in  time.  Any  child  who  is  old  enough  to  contradict  is 
old  enough  not  to  contradict.  Punish  instantly  and 
unfailingly  when  the  child  breaks  into  the  conversa- 
tion of  grown  persons  to  set  them  right.  A  child  who 
cannot  listen  respectfully  and  quietly  while  his  elders 
speak  should  not  have  the  privilege  of  remaining  where 
they  are;  hence  the  natural  and  most  suitable  punish- 
ment is  to  send  him  at  once  out  of  the  room.  If  this 
is  done  calmly  and  firmly  every  time  it  will  be  effective. 
Fear  in  the  Dark. 

A  child  that  has  been  frightened  in  the  dark,  or  who 
for  any  reason  fears  the  dark,  is  not  "making  believe," 
and  cannot  be  cured  by  heroic  measures,  but  must  be 
reassured  by  words  and  actions.  It  will  be  difficult  to 
reestablish  right  habits  after  such  a  deplorable  thing 
has  happened,  but  there  is  no  help  for  that;  she  has 
had  the  fright,  and  it  will  wear  off  only  very  gradually. 
Do  not  try  to  drive  out  the  Devil  with  Beelzebub. 
Someone  should  stay  with  the  child  until  she  is  sound 
asleep,  but  do  this  in  a  way  that  will  prevent  her  from 
realizing  your  sympathy  with  her  fright  to  be  the 
motive.  Put  her  to  sleep  where  she  can  hear  you  talk- 
ing, or  make  an  excuse  to  do  your  sewing  or  reading 
within  reach,  until  this  suggested  or  auto-suggested 


yo       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

fear  wears  off.  A  little  talking  in  a  natural  way  may 
do  a  little  good,  but  you  cannot  reason  with  so  young 
a  child,  and  you  cannot  reason  fear  of  the  dark  out  of 
any  child  under  ten.  You  can  only  calm  her  by  your 
own  unconcern.  Go  yourself  very  frequently  on  an 
errand  into  a  dark  room,  purposely  taking  no  light. 
Do  not  comment  on  not  being  afraid,  for  that  in  itself 
suggests  fear.  Decline  taking  a  light  on  the  ground 
that  you  know  where  to  find  what  you  want  in  the 
dark.  Protect  a  child  by  all  means  from  getting  a 
fright.  Never  permit  fun  or  games  that  involve 
frightening  anyone,  for  death  or  insanity  might  result, 
or  at  the  least,  a  lifelong  timidity. 
Whining. 

After  making  certain  that  a  child  who  whines  is 
physically  well,  deal  with  this  fault  as  with  other 
naughtiness  discussed  in  this  and  the  preceding  chap- 
ter. Discipline  is  the  cure.  It  is  with  you,  mothers, 
that  the  main  struggle  will  lie — to  be  on  your  guard 
against  making  the  slightest  concession  to  cajoling  and 
sulking,  to  importunities,  teasings,  tears,  demands,  sub- 
terfuges. Your  word  must  mean  something  definite. 
Only  when  you  can  so  get  hold  of  yourself  is  it  fair 
or  helpful  to  punish  the  child  for  overstepping  the 
bounds. 

How  often  have  I  had  in  my  school,  pupils  who 
never  attempted  to  gain  anything  from  me  by  whining 
or  teasing,  who  always  spoke  to  me  in  a  natural  tone 
of  voice,  yet  whose  voices  took  on  that  abominable 
whine  the  very  minute  they  crossed  the  home  threshold ; 
even  long  after  their  mothers  had  ceased  to  yield  to 
their  whinings.    The  physical  habit  persisted,  without 


Discipline:  Habits  yi 

the  child's  volition  or  knowledge,  just  as  a  scar  betrays 
a  wound  long  healed. 

When  a  child  whines  or  cries  easily,  it  may  be  that 
his  stomach  is  out  of  order.  Many  children  are  "bad" 
because  their  stomachs  are  soured  with  sweets,  for  a 
surfeit  of  sugar  works  havoc  in  the  system,  where  a 
small,  well-balanced  quantity  would  be  helpful  and 
salutary.  Correct  this,  see  that  the  child's  crying  gets 
him  nothing,  and  have  him  realize  that  you  will  not 
and  cannot  hear  him  when  he  whines,  but  that  as  soon 
as  he  stops  whining  and  is  pleasant  and  sensible,  you 
are  ready  to  listen  to  him. 

If  the  child  cries  when  disappointed,  remove  him 
instantly,  without  threat  or  discussion,  to  a  room  by 
himself.  You  will  soon  find  that  crying  rarely  occurs. 
Surprise  him  by  taking  quick  action,  without  previous 
warning  or  threat,  and  by  simply  removing  him  to  a 
safe  place  where  he  can  annoy  no  one.  This  effectual 
tit-for-tat  will  quickly  help  him  to  regain  self-control. 
Pouting. 

Do  not  specifically  watch  to  catch  a  child  pouting, 
but  on  the  other  hand,  do  not  pretend  not  to  see  it  when 
he  knows  very  well  that  you  have  done  so.  Make  him 
understand  clearly  that  he  must  submit  quietly  and 
uncomplainingly  to  your  correction.  If  he  goes  from 
pouting  to  defiance  or  attempted  disobedience,  have 
your  switch  ready  and  use  it  around  his  legs  tmtil  he 
is  a  thoroughly  subdued  young  man. 
Stubbornness. 

Give  only  commands  that  the  child  can  carry  out, 
give  them  in  a  way  that  cannot  be  misunderstood,  and 
if  the  child  then  refuses  to  obey,  take  down  the  switch 


^2       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-M other 

and  use  it  around  the  little  legs  until  he  does  obey. 
After  you  have  succeeded  with  this  first  severe  lesson, 
make  a  point  at  least  once  a  day  of  calling  the  child 
to  you  from  play.  Make  him  stand  in  front  of  you  as 
a  soldier  stands  at  attention  and  look  you  in  the  eye 
while  you  give  him  a  simple  direction:  "Go  to  the 
kitchen,  find  the  broom  and  bring  it  to  me,"  or  some 
similar  order.  Require  him  to  say,  "Yes,  mother,"  or 
"Very  well,  mother,"  and  comply  instantly.  Always 
choose  for  these  lessons  something  that  you  can  un- 
questionably make  the  child  do,  for  constant  practice 
in  executing  simple  commands  makes  him  docile  and 
teachable,  and  when  he  has  learned  to  obey  readily  in 
minute  matters,  he  will  not  oppose  his  will  to  yours 
in  more  important  ones. 

Give  a  series  of  simple  directions,  as :  Walk  to  the 
end  of  the  path;  stand  still;  turn  to  the  right;  turn 
again  to  the  right;  run  back  to  mother.  Invent  such 
instructions,  never  involving  more  than  one  command. 
These  things  are  simple,  but  not  easy.  Five  minutes 
a  day  of  such  training  may  well  be  given,  insisting 
upon  proper  positions  in  standing  and  always  insisting 
upon  correct  breathing. 
Teasing. 

Never  allow  older  people  to  tease  a  child,  or  in  any 
way  to  get  amusement  or  entertainment  at  the  child's 
expense,  for  it  is  ruinous  to  the  child's  disposition  and 
unfair.  If  the  child  has  any  rights,  one  of  them  is  to 
be  exempt  from  heartless  teasing.  As  for  the  teasing 
of  younger  children  by  older  brothers  and  sisters,  you 
must  abstain  from  too  conspicuous  interfering,  for  the 
younger  must  naturally  submit  to  some  teasing,  which 
will  do  them  good.    However,  any  attempt  of  the  older 


Discipline:  Habits  73 

to  be  cruel  or  really  unkind  must  be  sternly  suppressed. 
Do  this  tactfully  and  avoid  even  the  semblance  of  par- 
tiality. It  is  very  hard  indeed  to  know  just  when  to 
interfere  among  children,  but  while  the  fun  is  innocent 
and  not  too  hard  on  the  victims,  it  is  well  sometimes 
not  to  see  too  much,  for  it  is  thus  that  children  learn 
to  take  their  own  part. 
Nervousness. 

Nervousness  is  lack  of  self-control.  If  we  think  of 
it  in  this  light,  it  becomes  an  easier  matter  to  trace  the 
cause  and  find  the  remedy.  Children  who  are  permit- 
ted to  sit  up  late  or  to  go  frequently  to  parties  and 
moving  pictures  are  nervous.  They  cannot  stand  the 
vividness  and  variety  of  the  impressions  received. 
Showing  off  children,  or  treating  them  like  grown-ups 
instead  of  like  children,  is  bound  to  react  to  their  hurt. 
Nervousness  is  entirely  too  often  the  fault  of  delin- 
quent parents. 

To  overcome  nervousness,  keep  in  mind  the  old  edu- 
cational principle:  Stability  takes  precedence  over 
change.  Do  not  allow  stability  to  be  counteracted  by 
faddish  changes  and  freakish  alterations.  Aim  at  regu- 
larity in  your  daily  program.  Keep  out  frivolity  and 
diversion.  Do  not  listen  to  such  insidious  devices  for 
gaining  applause  as:  "The  poor  children  get  tired  of 
the  same  thing  over  and  over.  They  ought  to  learn 
through  play.  Interest  them.  Do  not  make  them  work. 
Their  lives  will  be  hard  enough  when  they  grow  up." 
Do  not  listen  to  such  counsel  unless  you  want  to  bring 
up  a  generation  of  sans-culottes,  compared  with  whom 
Marat  would  appear  as  a  gentle  angel,  but  if  you  want 
to  rear  a  generation  of  strong,  sturdy,  courageous 
men  and  women,  make  your  children  get  satisfaction 


74       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

from  stability,  not  delight  from  change.  No  one  reme- 
dial agent  will  do  so  much  to  overcome  nervousness  as 
the  regular  daily  program  to  which  the  child  must 
conform,  in  the  large  outlines  of  which  he  is  in  no  way 
consulted.  Not  idleness  but  a  combination  of  play 
and  work  is  remedial.  Strict  discipline  develops  will 
power,  which  in  turn  overcomes  nervousness.  A  great 
many  mothers  make  the  mistake  of  humoring  a  delicate 
child,  whereas  the  opposite  treatment  is  more  needed 
in  such  cases  than  with  a  healthy  child. 

Keep  the  child  from  hearing  himself  discussed  or 
from  being  conspicuously  talked  to,  avoid  singling 
him  out  from  the  group,  and  if  possible  prevent  others 
from  doing  so.  Protect  him  from  well-meant  blandish- 
ments that  make  for  self-consciousness.  Reciting  be- 
fore others  lays  the  foundation  for  inordinate  self- 
esteem,  impertinence,  nervousness,  and  unnaturalness, 
unless  most  tactful  discretion  is  observed.  Public  reci- 
tations by  a  child  may  become  a  potent  factor  for  bad 
as  well  as  for  good. 

When  a  child  is  nervous  and  wriggles  continually, 
make  this  your  point  of  attack.  Suppress  the  naughty 
wriggling  and  you  may  find  that  what  you  call  nerv- 
ousness has  been  nothing  but  naughtiness  of  the  com- 
mon or  garden  variety.  Wriggling  is  plainly  a  bad 
habit,  to  be  met  almost  universally  in  school  children. 
Their  fingers  are  twitching,  they  want  to  handle  a  pen 
or  pencil  or  other  object,  they  twist  their  clothing. 
Until  this  habit  has  been  overcome  the  child^s  mind 
will  always  be  diverted  and  wandering,  it  will  not  be 
receptive  to  the  best  and  most  expert  teaching,  because 
the  pupil  lacks  the  indispensable  mental  stamina.  A 
good  teacher  will  not  begin  or  continue  a  lesson  until 


Discipline:  Habits  75 

each  pupil  is  sitting  quietly  and  composedly  at  atten- 
tion, yet  American  children,  even  from  the  very  best 
of  homes,  are  so  badly  trained  in  this  respect  that  a 
conscientious  teacher  uses  fully  as  much  effort  and 
voice  to  secure  intelligent  attention  as  she  does  in  giv- 
ing the  purely  mental  training.  How  often  have  I 
said  to  the  mothers  of  my  pupils:  "If  you  would  only 
discipline  your  children  to  sit  properly  and  stand  qui- 
etly for  even  two  minutes  at  a  time  before  starting 
them  for  school,  I  could  teach  them  twice  as  much 
there  as  they  now  learn." 

Train  children  to  walk,  stand,  and  sit  properly,  with 
body  erect,  shoulders  back,  and  head  up;  when  they 
sit  their  feet  should  rest  squarely  on  the  floor  (hence 
they  should  have  seats  of  the  right  height),  their  hands 
should  be  quiet,  the  entire  body  composed.  Time  the 
child  in  this  posture  for  one  minute,  later  increasing 
it  to  two,  and  when  he  reaches  the  age  of  seven  or 
thereabouts,  three  minutes.  Do  not  read  to  him  or 
tell  him  a  story  until  he  is  thus  in  control  of  himself. 
Do  this  every  day,  making  it  an  important  part  of  his 
present  training,  in  fact,  as  the  first  exercise  of  his  daily 
lesson,  until  he  has  formed  the  habit  of  controlling 
himself.  A  simple  and  effective  help  in  this  lesson  is 
to  make  him  first  sit  or  stand,  then  walk  with  a  shal- 
low vessel  of  water  on  his  head,  twice  a  day  for  a  few 
minutes  at  a  time,  in  order  to  gain  control  and  poise. 
Habits  in  Illness. 

When  a  child  is  ill  its  whims  and  fancies  should  in 
no  way  influence  any  decisions  concerning  its  treat- 
ment, but  it  should  be  ruled  by  an  intelligent,  inflexible, 
patient  will.  Every  good  physician  who  takes  charge 
of  a  case  gives  his  orders  and  insists  that  they  be  car- 


y6       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

ried  out,  no  matter  how  great,  how  wise,  how  scholarly 
his  patient  be. 

Certain  practical  lessons,  such  as  those  concerned 
with  orderliness,  should  not  be  omitted  during  sickness. 
Do  not  excuse  leaving  toys  about,  for  example,  or 
because  he  does  not  feel  well  refrain  from  making  the 
child  put  them  properly  away.  The  effect  of  such 
indulgence  would  be  bad  for  the  health,  instead  of  bene- 
ficial. Use  judgment  at  all  times  about  lessons,  and 
if  you  see  a  child  getting  peevish  or  tired,  drop  them 
for  the  time  being,  for  there  is  more  danger  of  over- 
teaching  than  underteaching.  At  the  same  time,  guard 
against  conscious  or  unconscious  shamming,  few  things 
being  more  puzzling  than  to  meet  and  treat  the  child's 
instinctive  recourse  to  shamming  in  order  to  gain  his 
desired  end. 

The  child's  state  of  health  has  an  important  bearing 
on  the  kind  and  measure  of  instruction  fitted  for  him. 
He  should  not  be  asked  to  memorize  or  to  repeat  les- 
sons on  days  when  he  is  ill  nor  on  the  following  day 
if  you  have  reason  to  believe  that  exhaustion  remains. 
At  such  a  time  he  should  not  give,  but  he  should  be 
given  to.  Lessons  consume  a  certain  amount  of  nerve 
force  which  under  such  conditions  is  necessary  for 
bodily  growth  and  health.  When  the  child  is  not  well 
do  not  even  ask  him  to  recite  poetry,  for  even  though 
he  have  it  perfectly  memorized,  the  mental  effort  to 
reproduce  it  may  then  be  too  great,  but  if  he  wants 
to  recite,  well  and  good.  Do  not  repeat  poems  or 
stories  to  him  unless  he  asks  for  them,  and  then  have 
something  ready  that  does  not  tend  to  make  him 
gloomy,  for  it  is  hard  to  foresee  the  construction  that 
a  child  may  put  on  the  plainest  and  simplest  verses. 


Discipline:  Habits  77 

Tell  the  kind  of  stories  he  likes,  repeating  familiar 
rather  than  new  ones,  in  order  to  spare  him  the  effort 
of  constructing  new  mind-pictures. 

Let  him  have  his  dog  in  the  room  for  amusement, 
or  get  a  kitten  so  that  he  can  play  with  it  or  watch  it 
play  with  spools  or  balls  of  yarn.  Get  plasticene  and 
let  him  model  dogs,  cats,  anything  that  strikes  his 
fancy.  It  does  not  matter  whether  it  resembles  any- 
thing or  not  so  long  as  he  is  pleased  with  it.  Wax 
crayons  and  large  sheets  of  drawing  paper  will  give 
him  material  for  drawing  pine  trees,  wigwams,  children 
running  or  walking  or  lying  down.  Harmless  non- 
sense is  best  for  a  sick  child. 
Self -consciousness. 

The  sources  of  self -consciousness  are  self-compla- 
cency and  self-importance,  which  are  fed  by  the  praises 
of  overfond  parents,  doting  relatives,  and  irresponsi- 
ble admirers  of  the  poor  child.  Self -consciousness, 
once  firmly  rooted  and  established,  cannot  but  be  de- 
structive to  the  defenseless  young  soul,  mind,  and  body, 
for  it  may  grow  into  that  crass  egotism  which  wants 
to  make  the  whole  universe  subservient  to  the  poor 
and  puny  self.  It  is  the  bounden  duty  of  parents  to 
guard  the  child  against  thoughtless  adulation.  Do  not 
discuss  the  child  in  her  presence,  even  with  her  father, 
still  less  with  others.  Do  such  talking  privately  and 
keep  jealously  from  her  the  fact  that  any  discussion 
has  taken  place. 
Egotism. 

The  child  so  afflicted  has  been  encouraged  to  fancy 
that  the  world  revolves  around  her,  which  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at,  for  none  of  us  is  praise-proof.  We 
swallow  the  clumsiest  bait  of  flattery  as  greedily  as  the 


78       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

dumb  gudgeon  takes  the  slimy  worm  on  **Huckle- 
berry  Finn's"  bent  and  twisted  pin.  Now,  I  have  not 
a  word  to  say  against  giving  well-deserved  praise  to  a 
little  child,  as  long  as  it  be  given  moderately  and  spar- 
ingly, but  on  the  other  hand,  in  every  morsel  of  exces- 
sive praise  which  she  receives  are  lurking  the  germs  of 
egotism. 
Precocity, 

If  a  child  seems  old  for  her  years,  it  can  only  be  due 
to  circumstances  which  are  either  unfriendly  or  antago- 
nistic to  natural  mental  development.  Being  much  in 
the  company  of  her  elders  would  further  this  trait,  as 
would  also  talking  much  to  her  on  matters  incongruous 
with  her  age,  reasoning,  explaining,  and  moralizing 
too  much.  Parents,  and  still  more  outsiders,  are  habit- 
ually careless  in  their  discussions  and  conversations  in 
the  presence  of  the  little  ones.  Because  a  child  seems 
absorbed  in  play,  they  fancy  that  she  is  not  paying 
attention,  but  it  may  safely  be  taken  for  granted  that 
she  is  always  doing  so.  Counteract  her  precocity  by 
speaking  less  to  her,  by  confining  your  talk  to  childish 
matters,  that  is,  matters  rightfully  within  her  com- 
prehension; tell  or  read  to  her  the  stories  and  fairy 
tales  that  develop  her  fancy  and  imagination,  animal 
stories  being  suitable  for  this,  especially  tales  in  which 
the  animals  talk.  Leave  her  to  play  by  herself  if  she 
be  so  inclined,  but  if  not,  persuade  or  compel  her  to  do 
it.  Find  suitable  playmates  for  her,  younger  compan- 
ions being  better  for  her  than  older  ones. 
Clipping  Words. 

The  practice  of  clipping  words  should  be  stopped 
at  once.  Insist  that  the  child  take  time  to  speak  clearly 
and  distinctly,  and  to  enunciate  very  plainly  and  cor- 


Discipline:  Habits  79 

rectly.  This  acts  like  the  curb  on  a  spirited  young 
horse.  The  main  objection  to  hurried,  incorrect, 
slovenly,  and  jerky  speech  is  not  so  much  the  destruc- 
tive effect  upon  language,  but  the  effect  upon  the  whole 
mentality,  which  is  indissolubly  connected  with  lan- 
guage. So  often  it  is  said  that  a  child  stutters  or  stam- 
mers because  he  is  nervous,  whereas  the  fact  is  that 
he  is  nervous  because  he  stutters  or  stammers. 

If  you  will  take  note  of  persons  who  speak  with  too 
great  volubility,  you  will  find  that  the  fault  is  due  to 
a  quick,  petulant  character.  If  you  train  the  manner 
of  speaking,  you  improve  the  character.  Make  the 
child  use  chest-tones,  the  way  to  do  so  being  to  use 
them  yourself  and  have  the  child  imitate  you.  When 
she  screws  up  her  voice  to  a  high  pitch,  correct  her, 
making  her  speak  softly  and  clearly,  with  full  tones. 
Make  her  breathe  deeply  before  talking,  and  you  can 
play  games  with  her  in  which  you  lower  your  own 
voice  into  your  chest,  leading  her  to  imitate  your 
chest-tones.  If  a  child  has  a  weak  throat,  it  is  espe- 
cially important  that  she  learn  to  do  this. 
Stammering  and  Other  Speech  Defects. 

Most  speech  defects  can  be  overcome  if  taken  in 
time  and  persistently  treated.  The  cure  rests  on  keep- 
ing the  child  in  good  physical  condition,  on  establish- 
ing self-control  through  firm  discipline,  on  an  elemen- 
tary knowledge  of  the  way  speech  is  produced,  on  pa- 
tience and  persistence  in  making  the  child  practice  care- 
ful and  correct  utterance.  Stammering  is  due  to  lack 
of  control  over  the  organs  of  speech,  and  very  seldom 
arises  from  organic  defect.  It  may  be  aggravated  by 
depression  of  spirits,  digestive  disturbances,  or  physi- 
cal debility,  but  these  influences  have  nothing  to  do 


8o       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

with  the  cause.  The  remedy  is  to  acquire  control  over 
the  act  of  breathing  and  the  use  of  the  vocal  organs. 
The  early  years  of  a  child's  life  are  those  in  which  a 
cure  is  most  easily  effected.  Parents  should  not  defer 
effort  in  the  hope  that  impediments  or  defects  of  speech 
will  disappear  when  the  child  realizes  their  objection- 
ableness.  This  result  does  not  follow,  and  even  if  it 
did  the  child  has  in  the  mean  time  suffered  mortifica- 
tion and  acquired  nervousness. 

There  are  a  few  easily  understood  suggestions  that 
the  parents  can  apply: 

1.  Study  the  processes  of  speech,  the  relation  of  the 
breath  to  vocal  sounds,  the  position  of  the  tongue  in 
shaping  the  outward  stream  of  air;  and  practice  sep- 
arately making  the  different  vowel  and  consonant 
sounds,  noting  in  each  the  position  of  the  tongue. 

2.  Keep  in  mind  that  speech  is  breath — that  all 
sounds  originate  in  the  throat,  that  the  passage  of  the 
throat  must  be  kept  open. 

3.  Teach  the  pupil  before  beginning  to  speak  to 
get  control  of  himself,  his  thoughts,  his  breath,  his 
voice.  Practice  deep  breathing  with  the  child.  When 
one  is  threatened  with  loss  of  self-control  through 
fear,  anger,  or  any  other  cause,  instant  help  comes 
from  taking  a  deep  breath. 

4.  Make  the  child  think  before  he  speaks,  so  that 
he  knows  exactly  what  he  is  going  to  say.  This  adds 
to  his  self-confidence. 

5.  Do  not  allow  him  to  continue  talking  when  he 
begins  in  the  wrong  way.  Make  him  stop  at  once, 
think  what  he  wants  to  say,  take  a  deep  breath,  and 
speak  slowly. 

Bear  in  mind  that  harshness,  impatience,  scolding, 


Discipline:  Habits  8 1 

irritability,  punishment,  ridicule,  are  as  much  out  of 
place  in  dealing  with  such  defects  as  in  dealing  with  a 
broken  leg.  If  the  child  could  help  it,  be  sure  that  he 
would.  If  he  is  still  too  young  to  be  sensitive  about 
his  impediment,  this  is  so  much  the  more  reason  that 
infinite  patience  should  be  shown  in  helping  him  to 
overcome  the  unfortunate  habit.  A  firm,  kindly  voice 
and  manner  help  the  child  to  control  himself  and  to 
make  effective  effort.  Avoid  too  much  talking,  criti- 
cizing, or  suggesting,  simply  instruct  him  "Do  this," 
taking  compliance  for  granted.  Success  and  failure 
should  alike  be  met  with  a  smile  and  a  word  of  encour- 
agement and  if  the  parents  do  their  part  failure  will 
cease  after  a  while. 

Stuttering  differs  somewhat  from  stammering,  the 
source  of  this  difficulty  lying  mainly  in  the  lower  jaw. 
When  this  is  brought  under  control  and  the  effort 
to  speak  transferred  from  the  mouth  to  the  throat, 
where  it  belongs,  speech  comes  fluently  enough.  Use 
the  same  means  as  advised  to  overcome  stammering. 

Many  forms  of  defective  speech,  such  as  inability 
to  pronounce  certain  vowel  or  consonant  sounds,  owe 
their  origin  simply  to  want  of  proper  direction  and 
training  when  the  child  is  learning  to  talk.  One  of  the 
elementary  sounds  most  liable  to  mispronunciation  is 
S,  which  gives  rise  to  lisping.  This  consists  in  apply- 
ing the  tongue  to  the  teeth  or  gum  so  as  to  force  the 
breath  over  the  sides  instead  of  over  the  center  of  the 
tongue.  The  sound  of  L  is  likewise  often  defective, 
common  substitutes  of  one  sound  for  another  are  T  for 
K,  D  for  G,  N  for  Ng,  S  or  Z  for  Th,  S  for  Sh,  etc. 

Defects  in  pronunciation  and  enunciation  should  be 
dealt  with  one  at  a  time,  until  each  is  overcome.    Study 


82       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

how  each  sound  is  made,  practicing  it  before  a  mirror 
so  that  you  discern  the  position  of  the  tongue,  teeth,  and 
lips.  When  giving  a  lesson,  make  the  child  sit  or  stand 
directly  in  front  of  you,  watching  your  mouth  and 
imitating  you  in  making  the  sound.  Prolong  and 
exaggerate  the  sounds,  having  the  child  make  them 
with  you.  If,  for  instance,  he  says  "tat'*  for  "cat," 
put  your  finger  on  the  tip  of  his  tongue  and  keep  it 
down,  so  as  to  prevent  his  placing  it  against  the  roof 
of  his  mouth  while  making  the  K  sound.  He  thus 
learns  where  to  place  his  tongue  to  say  Kuh. 

Practice  only  one  new  sound  in  a  lesson,  and  practice 
this  same  lesson  for  a  week  or  a  month,  if  need  be, 
until  the  child  makes  the  sound  correctly.  Have  short 
lessons,  perhaps  five  or  ten  minutes  in  duration,  once 
or  twice  a  day,  regularly  and  punctually.  Do  not  nag 
the  child  between  times  about  the  sounds.  This  differs 
from  the  plan  to  correct  stammering,  which  should  be 
dealt  with  every  time  he  speaks  incorrectly. 

In  order  to  put  the  child  at  his  ease,  make  him  forget 
self,  and  leave  the  mind  free  to  attend  to  the  lessons;  it 
is  a  good  plan  to  have  fun  in  practicing  these  lessons. 
Thus  without  nervous  tension,  the  vocal  organs  more 
readily  assume  the  natural  position,  the  glottis  remains 
open,  and  the  child  easily  imitates  you.  Vary  the  les- 
son with  a  young  child  by  having  him  run  away  and 
repeat  the  newly  mastered  sound  to  the  dog,  the  cat, 
the  geranium,  then  come  back  and  tell  you  just  how  he 
said  it. 

Even  though  no  apparent  progress  has  been  made  in 
a  week,  keep  right  on,  not  as  if  you  were  instructing, 
but  as  if  this  were  an  enjoyable  game,  and  only  when 
the  child  succeeds  in  mastering  a  single  difficult  sound 


Discipline:  Habits  83 

begin  with  another  sound.  Mothers  who  follow  this 
plan  with  young  pupils  nearly  always  succeed  in  over- 
coming these  defects  and  impediments  in  a  single  year. 
Let  me  add  that  not  only  are  the  results  unquestionably 
desirable,  but  the  effect  of  this  careful  training  has 
the  same  good  influence  on  mind  and  body  that  results 
from  any  careful,  methodical  instruction  which  is 
suited  to  the  child's  age  and  needs. 


CHAPTER  VI 

TRAINING  CHILDREN  TO  OBSERVE 

When  the  great  naturalist,  Agassiz,  was  asked  what 
he  considered  the  most  importaint  work  of  his  life,  he 
answered,  "I  have  helped  men  to  observe."  By  ob- 
servation we  do  not  mean  simply  seeing,  for  we  may 
observe  through  taste,  touch,  smell,  and  hearing,  as 
well  as  sight.  The  sense  of  touch,  for  instance,  is  more 
primitive  than  even  that  of  hearing  or  sight,  and  is 
certainly  not  less  important  than  the  other  senses.  The 
child  gets  the  idea  of  form  through  the  fingers  rather 
than  through  the  eye,  and  trusts  more  to  the  sense  of 
touch  than  to  that  of  sight,  not  being  satisfied,  for 
instance,  that  no  more  cakes  remain  in  the  dish  until  he 
has  explored  it  with  his  hands.  At  three  months  the 
baby  will  grasp  with  the  hand  and  this  tendency  to 
rely  upon  muscular  sensations  develops  rapidly,  yet 
if  this  sense  is  not  properly  cultivated  it  begins  to  lose 
its  keenness  when  the  child  is  about  six. 

The  sense  of  smell  is  not  only  a  wonderful  safe- 
guard, but  serves  beyond  any  other  sense  to  bring 
quickly  and  distinctly  to  the  mind  scenes  and  memories 
of  long  ago  that  otherwise  would  be  lost.  Neither 
sight  nor  sound  is  so  potent  as  odor  in  stirring  deep- 
lying  recollections.  Fifty  years  hence  the  odor  of  nar- 
cissus will  recall  to  Barbara  the  beautiful  gift  she 
received  when  the  world  was  young  to  her — and  its 
giver.    The  sense  of  smell  is  weak  in  young  children, 

84 


Training  Children  to  Observe  85 

but  by  training  and  practice  one  of  the  most  useful 
roads  to  the  mind  may  become  so  extended  and  the 
field  of  perception  so  enormously  enlarged  that,  as 
in  Luther  Burbank's  case,  the  man's  usefulness  to  the 
world  becomes  intensified  beyond  measurement.  Bur- 
bank  made  himself  famous  by  smelling  in  a  field  of 
unscented  blossoming  verbena  a  single  plant  with  an 
arbutus-like  odor.  This  he  discovered  by  crawling  on 
all- fours  through  the  field,  and  from  it  he  raised  the 
sweet-scented  verbena.  Long  practice  had  enabled  him 
to  extend  his  smelling-range  beyond  the  usual  area. 

The  ear  demands  employment  and  training,  the 
importance  of  which  may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that 
congenitally  deaf  persons  are  usually  also  dumb,  for 
they  cannot  reproduce  sounds  which  they  have  never 
heard.  The  notion  of  rhythm  as  an  essential  part  of 
language  foundation  may  be  explained  to  my  readers 
at  another  time;  it  suffices  to  say  here  that  the  child 
himself  shows  us  that  this  foundation  should  be  laid 
during  babyhood.  At  three  or  earlier  he  responds  to 
strongly  accented  poetry  and  keeps  perfect  time  in 
dancing,  which  is  natural  enough,  considering  that 
so  much  of  life — for  instance,  heartbeats,  walking, 
breathing,  physical  labor — is  rhythmical.  Rhythm 
awakens  the  emotions  so  that  they  respond  to  sugges- 
tion, and  the  power  of  many  biblical  passages  is  prob- 
ably due  to  their  rhythm.  Think  of  what  ten  years* 
training  in  hearing  and  reproducing  sounds  would  do 
in  the  way  of  sharpening  the  mind! 

Looking  at  things  does  not  always  signify  seeing 
them.  Many  people  go  through  life  without  a  clear 
idea  of  the  simplest  subjects,  unable  to  reason  clearly 
because  they  lack  the  definite  knowledge  of  particular 


86       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

things  in  the  concrete  on  which  reasoning  must  be 
based.  Knowledge  is  based  on  something  that  precedes 
knowledge  and  depends  upon  the  clearness  and  com- 
pleteness of  our  impressions.  Since  the  mind  obtains 
its  information  solely  through  the  gateways  of  the 
senses,  it  is  obvious  that  understanding  and  judgment 
will  be  in  direct  ratio  to  the  perceptions  received,  just 
as  the  fairness  of  a  court's  judgment  depends  upon  the 
faithful  presentation  of  the  evidence.  On  the  other 
hand,  no  one  is  ignorant,  even  though  unschooled, 
whose  senses  are  trained  to  gather  exact  impressions 
from  his  surroundings.  The  reader  has  doubtless 
learned  through  agreeable  experience  that  the  company 
of  an  observant  person  is  an  education  in  itself. 

In  most  cases  stupidity  in  grown  people,  like  back- 
wardness in  children,  is  merely  the  outcome  of  failure 
to  observe  intelligently.  A  story  is  told  of  a  pearl- 
merchant  who  spent  his  life  in  travel,  yet  never  saw 
anything  of  interest,  who,  when  asked  something 
about  Australia,  where  he  had  spent  six  months,  ex- 
claimed: "Guess,  now,  what  potatoes  cost  in  Mel- 
bourne!" Every  day  furnishes  proof  that  dullness, 
stupidity,  "thick-headedness" — terms  so  often  used  to 
explain  failure  in  making  a  living  or  planning  a  life 
— are  rarely  due  to  any  lack  of  natural  gifts,  but  are 
simply  the  penalty  paid  by  the  mind  for  the  cheating 
of  the  senses. 

Sense  training  opens  the  gates  of  the  mind,  sharpens 
the  desire  for  knowledge,  and  leads  to  the  love  of  good 
books.  If  this  were  accomplished  it  would  scarcely 
be  necessary  to  instruct  the  young  learner  even  in  the 
elements  of  reading,  so  well-equipped  would  he  be  to 
continue  his  education  by  his  own  efforts.    No  one  will 


Training  Children  to  Observe  87 

question  that  observation  lessons  are  the  solid  and  safe 
foundation  for  all  scientific  study,  stepping-stones  to 
success  in  nearly  every  human  pursuit.  High  intel- 
lectual development  is  useless  in  such  a  profession  as 
medicine  or  surgery  or  teaching  if  the  senses  have  not 
been  adequately  developed.  Not  only  the  poet,  the 
naturalist,  the  artist,  depend  upon  observation  for  suc- 
cess, but  so  also  do  the  farmer,  the  preacher,  the  mathe- 
matician, while  Shakespeare's  fidelity  to  Nature  has 
made  him  immortal. 

Two  years  ago  Paul,  who  lives  in  Minneapolis,  and 
is  not  yet  seven  years  old,  wanted  "lessons,"  so  his 
parents  led  him  to  observe  the  birds  that  visited  their 
yard,  and  after  a  time  he  began  to  draw  them.  He 
would  come  in  and  draw  on  the  board  in  colored  chalk 
the  bird  as  he  saw  it,  so  that  someone  might  recognize 
it  and  tell  him  its  name.  From  week  to  week  he 
became  more  proficient,  and  when  I  showed  his  recent 
drawing  of  a  blue  jay  to  an  artist,  she  exclaimed  in 
wonder  and  expressed  the  conviction  that  this  boy  has 
every  prospect  of  becoming  the  great  interpreter  of 
bird  life  who  has  yet  to  make  his  appearance  in 
America.  "His  outline  is  a  truly  remarkable  piece  of 
work,"  she  said.  "The  Japanese  insist  that  to  control 
the  outline  is  the  severest  test  of  the  artist."  Now  he 
may  never  become  an  artist,  but  his  practice  in  making 
hand  and  eye  work  together  has  already  opened  up  for 
him  the  prospect  of  a  wide  field  from  which  to  choose 
his  life-work. 

Circumstances  formerly  compelled  men  to  observe, 
for  their  very  lives,  not  to  mention  their  success  in 
life,  depended  on  the  keenness  of  their  senses.  Clocks 
now  take  the  place  of  sundial  and  noonmark,  weather- 


88       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

bureau  forecasts  are  relied  upon  instead  of  noting 
wind,  clouds,  and  temperature,  while  brick  walls  and 
paving  stones  still  further  contract  our  horizon.  The 
man  from  the  city  had  this  brought  home  to  him  when 
he  heard  his  hostess  say  to  her  son : 

"Go  out  and  kill  a  hen  for  to-morrow's  dinner,  and 
be  sure  to  get  one  that  isn't  laying." 

"But  how  can  I  tell  that  in  the  dark,  when  I  can't  see 
their  combs?"  queried  the  boy. 

"Take  one  that  is  perched  farthest  from  the 
rooster,"  replied  the  mother.  "He  always  keeps  the 
laying  hens  near  himself." 

As  mere  information  the  foregoing  is  worth  little, 
but  as  an  indication  of  an  observant  mind  it  gives  us 
food  for  thought.  Even  if  our  visible  needs  seem  less 
dependent  now  than  formerly  on  the  keenness  of  our 
perceptions,  the  difference  is  only  in  the  seeming. 
Every  single  phase  of  living,  of  thinking,  of  social 
relationships,  of  civic  and  national  welfare,  depends 
upon  our  powers  of  accurate  observation.  One  pri- 
mary purpose  of  sense  training  should  be  to  cultivate 
keen  interest  in  things  of  real  importance. 

There  never  was  a  time  when  people  did  less  think- 
ing than  now.  The  head  of  the  literary  department  in 
one  of  our  great  universities  said  not  long  ago  that  if 
the  present  craze  for  reading  cheap,  trivial  stuff  was 
not  halted,  there  would  soon  be  no  one  left  in  this 
country  who  could  do  real  thinking.  He  added  that 
this  generation  does  more  reading  than  any  other  in 
the  world's  history,  and  has  more  trivial  interests  than 
any  other  of  which  we  have  any  record. 

With  Americans  the  power  of  the  imagination  is 
distinctly  on  the  wane,  which  means,  unhappily,  not 


Training  Children  to  Observe  89 

only  the  loss  of  the  power  to  construct  or  to  enjoy  a 
work  of  art,  but  the  loss  of  our  former  ingenuity  and 
dexterity  in  adapting  things  of  the  natural  world  to 
our  own  uses.  This  deterioration  began,  I  should  say, 
about  the  time  that  the  careful  grading  of  our  schools 
made  itself  generally  felt,  for  with  the  introduction  of 
exact  grading  there  naturally  came  a  still  greater  em- 
phasis on  knowledge  of  the  kind  that  can  be  readily 
measured  and  marked  in  percentages.  Therefore, 
what  is  called  the  best  school,  on  account  of  its  con- 
formity to  a  standardized  system,  is  often  the  worst. 
Visit  a  carefully  graded  school  and  hear  the  recita- 
tions go  with  pell-mell  rush.  The  quantity  of  informa- 
tion is  torrential,  but  the  quality  is  apparently  a  matter 
of  no  moment,  while  the  only  object  seems  to  be  to  fit 
the  pupil  to  the  Procrustean  bed  of  a  prescribed 
program.  The  results  are  fatty  degeneration  of  brain- 
cells,  sclerosis  of  understanding,  strangulation  of  in- 
terest, and  a  certifying  diploma. 

I  went  one  morning  by  invitation  of  the  superinten- 
dent to  a  wonderfully  graded  school  in  the  finest 
building  of  the  city,  in  order  to  watch  his  prize  teacher 
at  work  in  a  sixth  grade.  The  first  period,  called 
geography,  took  the  class  through  Ireland,  from  Cork 
due  northwest.  No  facts,  great  or  near-great  or  totally 
immaterial,  were  omitted  that  the  writer  of  a  popular 
supplementary  textbook  had  seen  fit  to  record  at  a  time 
when  print-paper  was  more  abundant  than  now. 

"Over  hill,  over  dale, 
Over  park,  over  pale. 
Through  flood,  through  fire." 

But  no  mischievous  fairy  led  the  children  this  dance. 


90       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

The  teacher  had  never  seen  fairies.  A  single  glance 
told  you  that  she  came  from  that  part  of  New  Eng- 
land whence  Cotton  Mather  had  exorcised  all  such 
unsubstantial  beings,  but  that,  if  fairies  had  been  pre- 
scribed in  the  curriculum,  she  would  have  made  an 
honest  effort  to  summon  them  forth  for  qualitative 
analysis.  At  any  rate,  it  was  not  Puck  or  the  Pied 
Piper  who  led  these  children  over  the  hills  and  by  the 
lakes  and  through  the  bogs  of  the  green  isle,  it  was 
a  tired,  unimaginative  woman,  determined  to  show 
her  visitor  an  efficient  method  of  reviewing  and  drill- 
ing, and  who  took  Ireland  not  from  choice  but  because 
Ireland  happened  to  be  on  the  face  of  the  earth  and 
"came  next"  in  the  syllabus. 

How  the  dry  bones  of  the  old  earth  rattled  for 
forty  minutes!  The  skeleton  of  a  lesson  was  there, 
indeed,  but  divested  as  it  was  of  all  human  qualities, 
there  was  neither  truth  nor  nature.  True,  the  city  of 
Cork  is  situated  on  a  harbor,  the  harbor  affords  dock- 
age for  vessels  pausing  on  their  trip  between  America 
and  England,  the  population  is  so  many  thousands, 
the  industries  are  such  and  such,  peat  is  a  popular  fuel 
there  and  thereabouts,  peat  is  cut  out  of  the  ground 
and  dried.  But  if  you  dry  that  peat.  Miss  Simpson, 
for  a  thousand  years,  it  can  never  be  as  dry  as  that  les- 
son of  yours  on  drying  peat.  The  lesson  finally  ended, 
and  it  had  been  so  exactly  timed  that  the  end  of  the 
period,  the  end  of  the  review,  and  the  arrival  at  Done- 
gal were  simultaneous.  Its  perfection  reminded  one 
of  a  jubilant  typesetter  who  rushed  into  the  editorial 
office,  proof  sheets  of  a  magazine  story  in  hand,  ex- 
claiming: "This  is  the  best  article  we  have  had  this 
year.     There  was  exactly  the  right  number  of  words 


Training  Children  to  Observe  91 

to  make  it  end  exactly  at  the  bottom  of  the  page." 
Forty-odd  pupils  now  put  away  their  geographies 
and  plainly  resigned  themselves  to  a  review  of  history. 
On  went  the  teacher,  almost  as  if  no  change  of  thought 
had  occurred,  chanting  her  chronological  litany  in  a 
high  nasal  monotone,  fearfully  rasping  to  human 
nerves.  Walking,  talking,  wielding  a  five- foot  wooden 
pointer,  she  passed  with  ungainly  strides  from  desk  to 
map  and  from  map  to  chart.  At  first  she  marshaled 
facts  into  the  young  minds  as  Noah  filled  his  house- 
boat, in  ordered  ranks,  by  two  and  two,  but  soon  the 
pace  was  accelerated  and  facts  came  trooping  by  tens 
and  dozens.  For  forty-odd  minutes  that  woman  went 
careering  through  time  and  space,  steadily  emitting  the 
most  bewildering  array  of  facts,  unrelated,  as  far  as 
her  pupils  could  see,  as  to  time  or  place  or  sequence 
or  dependence.  The  earth  was  hers  and  the  fullness 
thereof.  From  Father  Abraham  to  Papa  Joffre,  from 
Beersheba  to  Verdun,  from  Mephistopheles  to  the 
Kaiser,  she  swept  that  helpless  group  of  children.  To 
be  exact,  she  reviewed  them  from  page  seven  tp  the 
mathematical  center  of  the  book,  with  an  occasional 
side-glance  at  current  events  and  some  profound  oracu- 
lar dicta  concerning  the  League  of  Nations. 

When  a  pause  finally  came  I  said  to  her  somewhat  as 
follows :  "What  are  you  doing  to  cultivate  an  apprecia- 
tion of  the  wonders  of  Creation?  How  are  you  using 
that  appreciation  to  develop  in  these  boys  and  girls  a 
strong  individuality,  an  individuality  that  has  the 
strength  to  subordinate  its  interests  to  those  of  the 
family,  the  nation,  and  mankind,  and  to  submit  humbly 
to  the  will  of  God?" 
•    She  told  me  that  there  was  nothing  like  that  in  the 


92       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

course  of  study  and  asked  me  if  I  would  mind  telling 
her  just  what  I  meant.  I  answered  her  question  by 
asking  the  class  how  many  of  them  knew  that  the 
stars  rise  and  set.  None  of  them  had  ever  heard  of 
such  a  thing.  Then,  in  language  as  simple  as  possible, 
I  undertook  to  give  them  some  conception  of  the  mar- 
velous works  of  the  Creator ;  of  the  thousands  of  suns 
ranged  all  around  us  at  immense  distances  from  each 
other;  attended  by  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand 
worlds,  all  in  rapid  motion,  yet  calm,  regular  and 
harmonious,  invariably  keeping  the  paths  prescribed 
to  them;  and  these  worlds  possibly  peopled  with 
millions  of  beings,  formed  for  endless  progression 
towards  perfection  and  happiness. 

Of  course  the  children  were  not  prepared  to  grasp 
more  than  a  tiny  fraction  of  what  these  words  would 
convey  to  hearers  differently  trained,  but  they  did 
gather  enough  of  my  meaning  to  ask  the  question  I 
had  hoped  for :  "What  keeps  the  suns  and  worlds 
from  falling?"  In  my  answer  I  sought  to  lure  them 
on  to  further  inquiry  by  telling  them  that  their 
teacher  would  explain  about  the  force  which  deter- 
mines the  fall  of  a  stone,  and  that  this  same  force 
is  the  ruling  principle  in  the  heavenly  motions  and 
is  the  means  by  which  these  vast  bodies  are  suspended 
in  the  immensity  of  space. 

When  the  superintendent  asked  me  what  I  thought 
of  Miss  Simpson,  I  remarked  feebly  that  she  seemed 
to  be  a  frightful  worker.  "She  is,  indeed,"  he  ex- 
claimed with  warmth,  not  heeding  the  equivocal 
phrase  in  which  I  had  shamelessly  taken  refuge.  "If 
we  had  more  teachers  like  her,  what  couldn't  we  do 
with  the  children!" 


Training  Children  to  Observe  93 

"What  couldn't  you  do,  indeed?"  I  mused.  It 
made  me  think  of  a  friend  of  mine  who  owns  a  beau- 
tiful estate  on  which  a  king's  ransom  has  been  lav- 
ished in  tree-planting  and  landscape  gardening,  but 
who  is  forever  pining  for  a  brook.  "If  I  only  had  a 
brook,  just  think  what  I  could  do  with  it!"  And  she 
says  every  word  in  capital  letters.  Many  times  I  tried 
to  think  what  anyone  would  do  with  a  brook,  except 
let  it  run,  and  at  last  I  said  to  her  cousin:  "If  Mrs. 
Beauregard-Smith  had  a  brook,  what  would  she  do 
with  it?"  "If  Mrs.  Beauregard- Smith  had  a  brook," 
came  the  energetic  reply,  "she  would  get  cement  and 
make  a  canal  of  it." 

In  this  world  of  sorrowful  blundering  perhaps 
parents  and  school  teachers  should  not  be  too  harshly 
criticized  for  acting  on  the  assumption  that  the  educa- 
tional process  consists  mainly  in  charging  the  young 
mind  with  neat  little,  dry  little,  clean  little  missiles  of 
information  and  rattling  them  round  at  stated  inter- 
vals, to  make  certain  they  are  still  in  place  and  ready 
for  the  popgun,  but  does  it  not  seem  to  you,  mothers, 
that  the  "men  higher  up"  might  do  something  to 
abolish  such  teaching  in  favor  of  a  system  of  mind 
training?  That  observation,  comparison,  discrimina- 
tion are  indispensable  steps  towards  sound  learning  is 
not  a  recent  discovery.  That  overlaying  the  mind 
with  thicknesses  of  secondrate  facts  impedes  its 
working  and  stunts  its  growth  was  probably  recog- 
nized as  long  ago  as  the  time  of  Rameses  II.  Yet, 
while  awaiting  still  another  "wonderful  new  method," 
the  greater  part  of  our  school  curriculum  continues 
to  be  merely  informational. 

It  is  so  easy  to  impart  information,  easy  for  the 


94       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

teacher  to  say,  learn  so  many  pages,  easy  to  have 
showy  recitations  of  facts  that  pass  for  learning, 
easy  to  examine  pupils  on  the  quantity  remaining  sus- 
pended in  the  memory,  easy  to  grade  answers.  For 
modern  youngsters  there  is  no  tedious  climbing  of 
the  hill  of  knowledge,  for  an  escalator  takes  them 
from  kindergarten  to  high  school  graduation  with- 
out their  ever  knowing  the  joy  of  honest,  sustained 
effort,  and  when  the  fair  girl  graduate  stands  on  the 
platform  reading  her  essay,  "The  Diary  of  Dido," 
the  high  school  principal  says  confidentially  to  his  little 
group  of  auditors:  "Just  see  what  we  have  done  for 
that  girl.  We  took  her,  a  simple  farmer*s  daughter, 
and  now  see  what  she  is !"  Again  we  see  with  painful 
clearness.  She  is  a  girl  who  has  cribbed  a  jumble  of 
immoral  details  from  library  books,  interspersed  them 
with  high  school  slang,  and  then,  though  quite  old 
enough  to  know  better,  has  the  shamelessness  to  read 
this  mess  aloud  to  a  mixed  audience. 

However,  if  the  home  does  its  part,  there  is  little 
need  for  worry  over  the  neglect  of  observational 
training  in  the  schools,  for  no  home  is  so  poorly  cir- 
cumstanced that  it  cannot  give  the  groundwork  for 
scientific  instruction.  Its  very  imperfections  and 
apparent  drawbacks  can  be  made  to  do  their  part  in 
developing  mental  activity,  reflection,  dexterity,  and 
inventiveness.  There  is  no  such  laboratory  in  any 
school  as  the  home  kitchen,  cellar,  or  yard.  Must  a 
boy  wait  for  high  school  to  see  and  learn  that  a  piece 
of  iron  left  exposed  to  damp  air  is  after  awhile  con- 
verted to  a  reddish  brittle  substance?  How  much 
research  on  the  parents'  part  will  it  take  to  explain 
that  rust  comes  from  the  union  of  iron  with  the  oxy- 


Training  Children  to  Observe  95 

gen  from  the  air?  Must  children  wait  for  school 
clays  to  observe  falling  raindrops,  rising  steam,  to 
learn  that  one  is  heavier,  one  lighter,  than  air,  that 
the  water  in  the  bathtub  is  hotter  on  the  surface  than 
at  the  bottom,  that  like  heated  water,  heated  air  rises, 
and  cold  air  rushes  in  to  take  its  place,  and  so  be  led 
from  this  knowledge  to  understand  the  causes  of 
winds  on  the  earth's  surface? 

In  no  school  can  the  children  get  the  training  for 
the  study  of  mathematics  that  the  everyday  home 
affords.  The  child  who  gets  his  first  arithmetic  les- 
sons in  the  kitchen,  seeing  for  himself,  through  eye 
and  hand,  that  one  plate  and  one  plate  are  two  plates, 
that  a  quart  is  more  than  a  pint  and  a  pint  less  than  a 
quart,  that  the  cat  has  more  feet  than  he,  and  that  he 
has  fewer  feet  than  the  cat,  is  learning  arithmetic  in 
the  correct  way.  School  lessons  in  number,  unler,s 
based  on  long  and  careful  training  in  observation,  not 
only  do  not  implant  mathematical  ability,  but  by  con- 
fusing the  child  mind,  destroy  what  would  be  other- 
wise, in  a  greater  or  lesser  degree,  a  natural  aptitude 
for  numbers. 

Must  the  children  of  my  teacher-mothers  go  to 
school  to  learn  the  seasons,  the  points  of  the  compass, 
the  rising  and  setting  of  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  the 
three  great  kingdoms  of  the  physical  world?  To 
learn  to  read  thermometer,  barometer,  weather-vane, 
the  sky  and  its  portents?  To  learn  that  nothing  in  the 
natural  world  is  too  simple,  too  lowly,  too  ugly,  too 
common  to  be  a  part  of  education? 

When  it  comes  to  giving  the  child  healthy  interests, 
which  are  so  much  more  potent  against  evil  than  bare 
instruction  can  ever   be — for  knowledge  alone  is  a 


96       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

mighty  poor  safeguard  against  wrongdoing — what 
part  of  the  school  equipment  can  develop  the  mind  and 
heart  like  a  pet  at  home,  whether  it  be  a  cat,  a  dog,  a 
calf,  a  bird,  or,  most  wonderful  in  all  the  world,  a 
baby? 

That  is  a  great  moment  in  the  small  girl's  life  when 
she  first  finds  a  nestful  of  warm  white  eggs  in  the  hay- 
mow. How  did  they  come  there?  She  has  seen  eggs 
before,  and  has  been  told  that  the  hen  laid  eggs,  but 
never  did  this  explanation  mean  anything  until  the 
wonderful  nest  lay  before  the  young  eyes.  Then  the 
questions:  Did  the  hen  lay  them  all  at  once?  Why 
are  they  warm?  Why  did  she  come  back  here  every 
day?  Does  she  have  more  than  one  nest?  All  the 
nature  study  in  the  finest  school  could  not  bring  home 
to  this  child  the  wonder,  thrill,  and  delight  of  this  dis- 
covery in  the  hay. 

"How  can  I  teach  my  child  to  reason  soundly?" 
By  making  him  observant  as  a  preliminary  to  explana- 
tion and  reasoning.  The  only  causes  and  reasons  the 
young  child  can  understand  are  those  discernible  to 
the  senses,  the  abstract  being  beyond  his  comprehen- 
sion. All  your  finest  explanations  and  illustrations 
will  not  make  a  child  of  seven  or  eight  really  under- 
stand the  cause  of  day  and  night  or  of  the  change  of 
seasons,  but  a  little  questioning  will  lead  him  to  draw 
reasonable  conclusions  concerning  things  within  his 
scope.  For  instance,  the  noisy  Anglo-American  spar- 
row stays  with  us  who  live  in  the  cold  north,  while 
most  other  birds  go  south.  Why?  Because  this  bird 
can  stand  the  cold  better  than  the  migratory  birds  that 
leave  us  in  the  winter.  He  can  also  find  food,  espe- 
cially in  the  towns  and  wherever  there  is  grain  to  be 


Training  Children  to  Observe  97 

found  in  winter,  for  he  must  have  the  grain.  Other 
hardy  birds  that  perhaps  might  manage  with  grain 
are  not  bold  enough  to  make  raids  for  it  and  take  it 
away  from  the  barnyard  fowl  or  pick  it  up  in  the  road- 
way, so  tliat  the  sparrow's  tough  little  skin,  his  eating 
habits,  and  his  daring,  all  account  for  his  outstaying 
birds  that  are  better-liked. 

One  of  the  many  good  reasons  for  insisting  upon 
regular  work  from  children  is  that  only  through  the 
hands  can  the  child  obtain  the  lessons  most  suitable  to 
develop  mentality,  by  learning  through  experience  and 
experiment  to  reason  from  cause  to  effect  and  from 
effect  back  to  cause.  When  he  is  made  to  perform 
intelligently  various  household  tasks  the  child  amasses, 
through  the  senses  and  sensations,  an  amazing  quantity 
of  knowledge  which  is  indispensable  to  mental  balance 
and  judgment,  knowledge  that  under  modern  condi- 
tions could  not  otherwise  be  gained  naturally. 

The  child  who  is  too  much  absorbed  in  books  slights 
the  practical  things  of  life.  The  mother  must  try  to 
adjust  this  discordance  and  emphasize  in  every  way 
the  importance  of  the  world  which  lies  about  him ;  she 
must  train  him  to  do  and  make  things,  to  use  hands  and 
eyes.  The  simplest  thing  he  is  trained  to  make  with  his 
hands  is  worth  more  than  any  subsequent  school  lesson 
requiring  equal  time  and  teaching.  Even  when  quite 
young  he  should  learn  to  use  tools,  hoe,  rake,  spade, 
thereby  acquiring  the  idea  of  via  inertice,  of  the  resist- 
ance of  objects  and  materials  to  their  use,  of  the  resist- 
ance of  matter  to  mind,  and  developing  muscular  sensa- 
tion. Helping  you  in  the  kitchen  and  watching  you  in 
the  preparation  of  food  will  afford  many  fine  lessons. 
When  you  are  making  cake,  let  the  child  try  to  tell  you 


98       Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

what  comes  next,  and  how  much;  he  can  count  the 
eggs,  learn  pint,  quart,  etc.,  but  do  not  expect  him  to 
count  beyond  a  number  which  he  actually  uses,  and  the 
counting  should  follow  the  measuring,  not  precede  it. 

The  child  is  not  the  only  one  to  benefit  by  home 
lessons  in  observation,  for  the  teacher-mother  grows  in 
wisdom  from  day  to  day,  the  whetting  of  mind  on 
mind,  even  though  it  be  the  mind  of  a  child,  being  an 
unsurpassed  intellectual  stimulus.  It  increases  the 
ability  to  judge  soundly  and  to  deal  wisely  with  facts, 
especially  as  they  relate  to  the  conduct  of  life,  and 
cultivates  common  sense,  and  "common  sense  in  an 
uncommon  degree  is  what  the  world  calls  wisdom." 
The  child  learns  much  from  his  mother,  but  the  mother 
learns  still  more  from  her  child,  for  by  the  time  she  has 
finished  showing  him  an  object  from  ten  different 
angles  she  will  realize  that  the  only  way  to  know  a 
subject  thoroughly  is  to  teach  it.  She  will  also  know 
more  about  her  child  than  if  she  had  left  his  instruc- 
tion to  strangers. 

If  my  insistence  on  mind  training  fills  the  teacher- 
mother  with  foreboding,  lest  she  lack  the  requisite  skill 
and  learning  to  accomplish  such  an  assignment,  let  me 
show  how  simple  the  task  is.  For  its  effectiveness 
mind  training  depends  primarily  on  sense  training,  and 
sense  training  deals  particularly  with  what  we  may  call 
the  physical  or  animal  aspects  of  development.  Most 
fortunately,  this  training  should  begin  in  earliest  in- 
fancy, else  we  neglect  an  entire  psychological  period, 
which  is  the  period  of  greatest  plasticity,  of  greatest 
response  to  suitable  stimulus.  For  every  observation 
lesson  the  mother  teaches  the  child,  the  child  teaches 
himself,  and  her,  a  score  of  lessons.    The  simple,  joy- 


Training  Children  to  Observe  99 

ful  truth  is  that  to  develop  and  train  the  senses  is  to 
develop  and  train  the  mind.  Now,  where  is  the  bug- 
bear ?  For  the  senses  are  simple  and  elemental.  How 
to  train  them  is  within  the  learning  of  anyone  able  to 
read,  and  this  done,  our  stupendous  "mind  training" 
will  practically  take  care  of  itself.  As  for  the  requisite 
knowledge,  the  mother  is  fully  equipped  for  all  the 
teaching  that  should  be  given  in  the  early  years. 
Arouse  a  living  interest  in  one  flower,  one  star,  one 
tree,  one  bird,  one  little  wild  beast,  and  Nature  almost 
unaided  will  attend  to  the  rest. 

The  education  of  the  senses  should  be  based  more 
on  instinct,  as  it  is  done  all  through  Nature,  than  on 
a  systematic  training.  By  this  is  meant  that  the  good 
teacher  is  guided  by  Nature's  plan  of  letting  the  child 
attain  a  clear  perception  of  external  objects  by  experi- 
mentation, the  mother  of  invention.  Give  ample  time 
for  the  new  idea  to  grow,  tell  the  child  of  seven  or 
eight  that  the  moon  travels  around  the  earth,  answer 
his  questions,  but  otherwise  leave  him  alone  to  puzzle 
this  great  new  idea  out,  to  follow  the  moon  on  its 
journey  over  sea  and  land,  to  wonder  if  it  really  can 
be  true!  Do  not  mention  unnecessarily  any  other 
heavenly  or  earthly  body  until  his  questions  show  that 
for  the  time  being  his  mind  has  freed  itself  from  the 
moon. 

Foster  inquisitiveness,  and  you  will  then  have  little 
cause  to  complain  of  idle  curiosity.  Teach  your  child 
to  take  an  interest  in  things  worth  noticing,  not  in 
inconsequential  things.  A  true  artist  admires  the  trees 
that  he  paints,  more  than  his  painting  of  them,  however 
artistic  it  may  be;  therefore  let  things  natural  take 
precedence  over  things  artificial.     He  cannot  wholly 


100     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

learn  this  lesson  in  childhood,  but  he  can  begin  to 
learn  it.  Do  not  take  for  granted  his  understanding 
of  any  point.  A  child  does  not  know  a  straight  line 
until  he  is  taught  what  it  is.  He  will  call  a  slanting 
straight  line  crooked,  and  a  perfect  circle  he  will  call 
straight,  meaning  regular. 

Object  lessons  should  be  direct.  Lessons  about  a 
tree  should  be  learned  from  a  tree,  not  from  a  book 
on  trees;  they  can  then  be  expanded  and  amplified  by 
verbal  explanations  and  reading.  The  first  lessons 
should  be  as  plain  and  simple  as  possible,  and  expanded 
gradually,  the  same  object  furnishing  material  for 
many  lessons.  A  child  cannot  possibly  learn  all  about 
any  one  object  in  one  lesson  and  to  gain  a  clear  con- 
ception of  it  may  take  years.  Systematic,  progressive 
training  in  the  use  of  the  senses  should  continue  from 
day  to  day,  and  from  year  to  year,  embracing  many 
kinds  of  objects. 

If  you  want  your  children  to  be  interested  in  nature, 
you  must  be  interested  yourself;  therefore  when  Paul 
brings  in  a  beetle  do  not  squeak  and  shriek  at  him  to 
take  the  nasty  thing  away,  but  proceed  to  get  a  lesson 
out  of  it.  I  do  not  insist  that  you  are  to  fondle  the 
insect,  for,  confidentially,  I  would  not  do  so  myself, 
but  there  is  a  better  way.  Instead  of  postponing  until 
high  school  his  lesson  on  the  June  bug,  say  to  Paul: 
**Let  us  see  how  much  we  can  find  out  about  this  beetle. 
How  many  legs  has  it?  Is  the  body  in  one  or  two 
parts?  What  kind  of  eyes  has  it?  Has  it  jaws,  feel- 
ers, feet,  tail,  and  sting,  or  none?  How  many  wings 
has  it?  What  is  their  color  and  shape;  how  are  the 
wings  folded  when  resting?  Where  is  it  found,  and 
what  is  its  food?"    These  are  only  suggestions  which 


Training  Children  to  Obsenfi^^n  I    :;!  .ijogl.. 

you  can  expand,  so  that  the  child  uses  his  senses  and 
brain  before  he  is  given  the  result  of  someone  else's 
observations. 

For  sense-training  material  use  natural  and  artificial 
objects,  animate  and  inanimate,  taking  them  in  an  order 
that  conforms  to  the  child's  age  and  surroundings. 
In  the  morning  ask  yourself  what  part  of  the  imi verse 
you  will  bring  to  his  attention  that  day.  Beginning 
with  the  baby,  how  much  better  it  is  to  have  his  nap 
outdoors,  weather  permitting,  so  that  his  waking  mo- 
ments may  be  filled  with  the  sight  of  swaying  trees  or 
fleeting  clouds,  than  to  leave  him  to  stare  at  dull  walls. 
Protect  his  eyes  from  strong  light  and  give  him  the 
environment  of  Nature  whenever  you  can. 

Material  for  lessons  should  be  found  and  supplied, 
as  far  as  possible,  by  the  pupil  himself.  During  the 
early  years  objects  manufactured  for  this  purpose 
should  be  avoided  as  harmful.  We  must  learn  to  use 
our  senses  rather  than  father's  pocketbook  in  getting 
the  best  from  our  surroundings,  therefore  substitute 
outdoor  natural  material  for  pseudo-educational  gim- 
cracks.  Do  not,  if  you  can  help  it,  use  anything  that 
costs  money  during  the  kindergarten  period  except  the 
blackboard  and  chalk,  and  perhaps  a  writing  or  draw- 
ing book  for  each  child  for  rainy  days.  This  is  not 
for  economy's  sake,  though  indirectly  it  teaches  the 
habit  of  economy,  but  to  make  the  most  of  homely 
and  familiar  surroundings  and  to  follow  as  nearly  as 
we  can  the  path  trodden  by  worth-while  men  and 
women,  whose  noble  and  helpful  lives  have  proved  that 
it  was  the  right  path.  "The  old  ways  are  best."  For 
example,  the  value  of  wooden  alphabet  blocks  is  not 
great.    Of  course  you  can  make  use  of  them  in  invented 


tQ2    'Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

lessons,  teaching  the  child  something  about  compara- 
tive sizes,  edges,  rough  and  smooth,  light  and  heavy, 
and  so  on,  but  these  lessons  can  be  taught  far  better 
with  materials  collected  at  will,  such  as  sticks  and 
stones,  earth,  plants,  a  pail  of  water,  an  tgg,  dishes, 
hose,  pets,  whatever  happens  to  lie  at  hand.  The  very 
best  objects  are  those  which  are  so  familiar  to  us 
grown-ups  that  they  are  deadly  commonplace  and 
therefore  often  overlooked. 

Nothing  is  too  simple,  too  lowly,  too  common  to  be 
worth  while  from  this  viewpoint  of  helping  the  child 
to  find  his  rightful  place  in  relation  to  his  surround- 
ings. Let  us  not  ignore  even  the  chickens'  tracks  in 
the  mud,  or  whether  the  cow's  two  horns  are  exactly 
alike.  Your  back  yard  is  so  full  of  nature  study  that 
I  am  only  carrying  owls  to  Athens  in  mentioning  more. 
Set  your  boy  to  notice  things  and,  as  you  will  see,  he 
will  soon  teach  himself.  Make  use  of  natural  play- 
things. Especially  during  the  first  three  years,  and  as 
far  as  is  practicable  and  reasonable  during  the  first 
seven  years,  supply  as  playthings  suitable  objects  in 
their  natural  state  from  the  three  great  kingdoms.  In 
this  way,  through  the  medium  of  the  senses,  rather 
than  through  words,  and  at  the  right  period,  the  child 
comes  into  close  contact  with  his  natural  surroundings. 
Baby  intelligence  is  safely  developed.  An  ordinary 
round  stone  is  a  better  plaything  than  a  china  door- 
knob; a  potato  is  better  than  a  rubber  ball;  a  stick  of 
kindling  or  hardwood  has  advantages  as  building  ma- 
terial over  the  nicely  planed  block.  Each  of  the  natural 
objects  has  distinctive  characteristics  which,  apart 
from  their  value  as  observational  material,  does  not 
lessen  their  value  as  playthings,  which  is  now  really 


Training  Children  to  Observe  103 

the  first  consideration.  Water,  sand,  mud,  pebbles, 
stones,  sticks,  nuts,  walnut  shells  for  boats,  beans,  peas, 
soaked  grains  of  corn  or  allspice  for  beads;  potatoes, 
apples,  pumpkin,  gourd,  large  leaves  for  lunch  cloth, 
small  leaves  for  napkins  and  doilies,  cat,  dog.  These 
and  various  combinations  of  them,  with  others  that  lie 
at  hand  everywhere,  will  keep  a  young  child  happy  and 
good  and  busily  learning. 


CHAPTER  VII 

OPENING  THE   MIND's   GATEWAYS 

Some  kind  of  object  lesson,  not  necessarily  a  set  one, 
should  be  given  every  day.  A  croaking  frog,  a  smok- 
ing stove,  a  broken  dish,  a  decayed  apple,  the  cat's 
toes,  anything  and  everything  noticeable  by  the  senses 
should  be  seized  upon  when  it  presents  itself.  I  am 
sure  that  not  one  of  my  teacher-mothers  will  take  the 
stand  of  the  over-methodical  kinder  gar  tner,  to  whom  I 
presented  some  cocoons  from  which  the  tenants  were 
about  to  emerge,  and  who  protested  that  since  it  was 
January  she  could  not  allow  her  little  charges  to  wit- 
ness the  approaching  miracle  because,  according  to  her 
set  of  four  kindergarten  books,  grubs  are  not  supposed 
to  matriculate  into  butterfly  citizenship  in  that  month. 
Too  full  for  words,  I  carried  my  caterpillars  back  to 
their  terrarium,  sought  out  another  kindergarten 
teacher  and  demanded  her  sympathy  in  my  pain  of 
mind.  She  gave  it,  but  added  that  the  kindergartner 
was  right,  because  there  is  a  little  butterfly  song  that 
goes  with  seeing  the  butterflies  come  out,  and  as  this 
is  to  be  sung  in  April,  it  would  hardly  do  to  sing  it  in 
January. 

The  time  to  teach  an  object  lesson  is  when  a  suitable 
object  presents  itself,  and  the  choice  of  it  should  by  no 
means  be  limited  to  such  lessons  as  may  be  suggested 
in  this  book,  which  is  an  unsystematized  talk  on  things 
just  off  the  beaten  highway  of  familiar  instruction.    I 

104 


opening  the  Mind's  Gateways  105 

purposely  omit  the  type  of  lessons  that  get  themselves 
taught  somehow,  the  kind  suggested  by  kindergarten 
courses. 

Certain  old  aristocratic  families  were  proud  of  their 
sensitive  and  discriminatory  noses.  Besides  educating 
an  important  sense,  smell  training  should  be  given 
every  day  for  its  practical  use,  for  a  fastidious  nose  is 
a  better  safeguard  than  a  fastidious  palate.  It  is  rea- 
sonable to  suppose  that  a  well-developed  sense  of  smell 
has  protected  many  people  from  the  danger  of  catching 
certain  infectious  diseases  or  partaking  of  poisonous 
food.  The  indiscriminate  use  of  perfumes  spoils  the 
sense  of  smell.  Smelling  experiments  involve  not  the 
slightest  risk  of  overtaxing  the  nervous  system.  Teach 
your  children  to  know  by  smell  everything  on  your 
premises  that  is  smellable.  Soap,  oil,  butter,  vinegar, 
molasses,  pepper;  ink,  vegetables,  fruit,  flowers,  weeds, 
turpentine,  camphor,  axle-grease;  the  odor  of  cows, 
of  horses,  of  sheep — all  will  help  to  train  the  sense  of 
smell.  Even  the  baby  should  be  taught  to  smell  flow- 
ers and  other  objects,  so  that  he  soon  learns  to  ask  for 
the  privilege.  His  "  'mell,  'mell,"  should  not  be 
ignored. 

Teach  the  child  through  his  hands  and  through  all 
the  senses,  to  know  the  common  elemental  things.  For 
the  three-year-old,  plan  lessons  to  train  the  sense  of 
feeling.  For  instance,  place  on  the  table  a  number  of 
familiar  objects,  such  as  balls,  buttons,  nuts ;  blindfold 
Robert,  let  him  pick  them  up  one  by  one  and  identify 
them  by  fingering  them,  naming  each  and  describing 
it  as  well  as  he  can.  Teach  him  to  detect  blindfold  the 
differences  between  cloths,  leaves,  papers,  coins,  seeds. 
For  lessons  in  "rough  and  smooth,"  use  all  available 


io6     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

appropriate  objects,  such  as  rasp,  nail-file,  potato, 
apple,  walnut,  hazelnut,  rough  and  smooth  paper,  etc. 
Teach  hot,  cold,  hard,  soft,  dry,  moist,  through  the 
fingertips. 

Muscular  sensation  is  one  of  the  divisions  of  the 
sense  of  feeling,  and  to  be  able  to  estimate  the  weight 
of  an  object  to  a  pound,  or  even  an  ounce,  is  not  a  use- 
less accomplishment,  but  helps  in  developing  the  ability 
to  judge  of  practical  matters.  With  practice  and  per- 
severance it  can  be  acquired  by  anybody.  Plan  lessons 
that  train  your  children  to  judge  of  differences  in 
weight.  Let  the  small  boy  collect  a  pile  of  stones ;  tell 
him  to  put  the  heavy  ones  in  one  pile  and  the  light  ones 
in  another.  After  a  time,  a  year  or  so,  have  him  make 
three  piles,  the  third  for  intermediate  weights. 

For  these  lessons  take  flatirons,  sticks  of  wood,  etc., 
anything  the  children  can  handle.  Take  a  brick  as  a 
standard  of  weight.  Let  them  tell  which  is  the  heavier, 
which  the  lighter ;  thus  you  teach  them  the  correct  use 
of  such  words.  At  first  there  should  be  a  great  differ- 
ence in  weight,  but  as  the  weeks  go  by  the  contrast 
should  be  lessened.  After  a  while,  introduce  three 
objects  for  comparison  of  weights,  teaching  lighter  and 
lightest,  heavier  and  heaviest.  You  can  expand  such 
lessons  indefinitely. 

For  a  child  of  five  it  is  a  good  plan  to  take  an  object 
weighing  just  a  pound — a.  box  of  baking  soda  is  con- 
venient, or  fill  a  bag  with  sand  to  the  weight  of  one 
pound.  A  year  or  so  later,  use  a  half-pound  weight. 
Make  him  use  this  as  a  standard  of  comparison,  hav- 
ing him  **heft"  other  objects  and  estimate  whether 
they  weigh  more  or  less  than  one  pound.  By  laying 
the  object  afterwards  on  the  pan  of  the  scales,  he  can 


0 pelting  the  Mind's  Gateways  107 

find  out  for  himself  whether  he  estimated  correctly  or 
not.  An  old-fashioned  balance  with  two  pans  will 
serve  better  for  this  purpose,  as  its  construction  and 
operation  are  so  very  simple  that  very  little  explana- 
tion is  required.  If  you  have  not  got  one,  try  with 
Paul's  help  to  make  one.  All  you  need  is  a  strip  of 
wood  with  a  hole  in  the  midpoint  for  beam,  paper 
plates  for  scale  pans,  a  piece  of  string,  and  a  piece  of 
wire  for  handle  and  for  suspending  balance.  You  can 
easily  adjust  it  so  as  to  balance  fairly  correctly,  and 
what  a  rich  mine  of  physical  information  you  have 
opened  up  for  your  children !  These  are  fine  games  to 
play  with  father  or  mother  on  winter  evenings,  one 
contestant  after  another  giving  the  estimate,  the  win- 
ner being  finally  determined  by  the  corrections.  At 
first  the  children  will  not  be  very  close  in  their  esti- 
mates, but  practice  should  make  them  little  experts. 

Ear-training  by  piano  or  other  musical  instrument, 
the  human  voice,  animal  calls  and  cries,  bird-notes, 
should  be  practiced  every  day.  Get  Eloise  to  imitate 
the  noises  of  little  pigs,  big  pigs,  chickens,  mother 
hen,  rooster,  other  farm  creatures,  wild  creatures,  spar- 
row, robin,  jay,  crow,  brook,  engine.  Whether  she 
succeeds  very  well  does  not  matter;  it  is  the  attempt 
and  continued  effort  that  count.  But  make  certain 
that  the  practice  of  mimicking  does  not  transgress  the 
bounds  of  good  breeding.  It  is  unwise  to  encourage 
any  mimicry  of  human  beings,  the  habit  being  too 
easily  acquired. 

Children  between  four  and  seven  should  make  the 
acquaintance  of  angleworms,  spiders,  grasshoppers, 
fireflies.  Look  for  a  flat  stone  on  the  ground,  turn 
it  up  and  show  Charles  the  little  live  things  scampering 


io8     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

away  into  the  friendly  darkness.  Disturb  an  ant-hill 
and  watch  the  nurses  running  away  to  new  quarters 
with  their  precious  babies.  Find  eggs  of  toads  and 
frogs  in  the  pools,  if  you  have  such.  Bring  in  polli- 
wogs,  keep  them  in  a  glass  jar  and  change  the  water 
frequently  for  fresh  pond  water,  so  that  they  can  get 
food  from  its  slimy  little  plants.  Watch  the  legs 
appear,  the  tail  drop  off,  and  other  changes.  Teach 
the  meaning  of  pond,  brook,  stream  and  bridge  if  you 
can,  by  artificial  ponds,  brooks,  streams,  bridges,  de- 
vised with  the  child's  help.  It  is  not  alone  the  accumu- 
lation of  interesting  and  valuable  facts  that  makes  such 
lessons  important,  but  the  acquiring  of  a  permanent 
interest  that  may  easily  be  a  safeguard  throughout  tem- 
pestuous years,  during  which  the  mind  tends  to  become 
centered  on  self. 

An  excellent  little  chapter  in  a  course  of  observation 
lessons  for  Eleanor  may  center  about  her  pet  lamb,  or 
any  other  pet.  She  should  count  its  eyes,  ears,  tail, 
the  toes  on  one  foot.  She  should  learn  the  names  and 
meanings  of  wool,  fur,  hoof,  paw,  toe,  nail,  claw.  In 
like  manner  teach  the  names  of  the  more  important 
parts  of  a  dog's  body,  as  legs,  toes,  foot,  ears,  eyes, 
mouth,  teeth,  tongue,  nose,  muzzle,  hair,  tail,  back, 
ribs,  side,  flank.  Let  her  find  out  for  herself  how  many 
toes  the  dog  has  on  each  foot.  How  few  of  us  are 
aware  that  there  are  commonly  only  four  toes  on  each 
of  the  hind  feet.  On  the  fore  feet,  she  will  find  the 
fifth  toe  apart  from  the  others  and  a  little  higher  up. 
Examine  the  nails.  What  color  are  they  ?  What  color 
is  the  inside  of  the  dog's  mouth?  Teach  the  names  of 
the  various  parts  of  the  body  of  chickens,  as  leg,  toe, 
feathers,  wings,  tail,  beak,  eye,  comb,  back,  neck,  crop. 


opening  the  Mind's  Gateways  109 

gizzard — not  only  as  names  but  with  correct  meanings 
as  far  as  the  child  can  understand  them.  One  form  of 
observation  that  may  be  practiced  season  after  season 
and  year  after  year  is  the  examination  and  comparison 
of  tracks  of  chicken,  cow,  pig,  and  child,  and  of  the 
feet  that  made  them.  Send  her  to  look  at  the  foot  of 
cow,  horse,  dog,  or  cat  and  then  come  and  describe 
it  to  you. 

Especially  from  the  age  of  five  onward,  birds  are 
good  and  suitable  objects  for  lessons  in  observation 
and  general  knowledge,  ranking,  perhaps,  before  flow- 
ers, for  as  they  exhibit  life  more  strikingly  than  do 
flowers,  they  attract  the  child  more  and  rouse  his  imag- 
ination more  directly  and  naturally.  What  birds  are 
now  visiting  your  yard?  What  food  is  the  sparrow 
after?  Describe  it  with  your  eyes  shut.  Compare 
and  contrast  other  birds  with  the  sparrow  as  to  size, 
color,  shape,  flight,  gait  on  ground,  habits,  food, 
friends,  numbers.  What  bird  hops,  runs,  walks  in  a 
stately  manner?  Try  to  find  a  robin's  nest  with  the 
young  birds  stretching  out  their  wide  yellow  beaks  for 
a  nice  fat  worm  as  the  old  birds  bring  food. 

Coax  the  birds  to  stay  through  the  winter  by  putting 
out  food  for  them — crumbs,  seed,  grain,  popcorn.  Try 
tacking  suet  to  the  trees,  with  the  inverted  rim  of  an 
old  pan  underneath  or  with  some  other  contrivance  to 
prevent  the  cats  from  getting  the  coveted  suet.  The 
sparrows  probably  will  not  attack  it,  but  other  birds 
will  in  all  likelihood  come  to  the  feast.  Now,  if  the 
birds  accept  your  invitation  to  stay  with  you  in  winter, 
be  sure  not  to  cut  off  their  food  supply  during  the  bad 
weather. 

In  winter  plant  a  few  peas  or  beans  in  a  can  of  soil, 


no     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

or  better,  make  Helen  do  it,  and  make  her  weed  and 
water  the  Lilliputian  garden,  watching  the  sprouts 
from  day  to  day,  so  that  she  will  get  an  idea  of  how 
things  grow.  Plant  a  few  seeds  of  some  quickly 
sprouting  plant,  later  a  slow  sprouting  plant,  that  she 
should  watch  for  changes.  This  will  prepare  her  for 
the  summer  lessons.  Have  you  bulbs  for  winter  bloom- 
ing? Tulips  and  narcissuses  are  such  a  joy.  Plant 
them  each  fall  according  to  directions  in  earth  in  the 
cellar,  bringing  up  one  or  more  from  time  to  time, 
after  they  have  rooted,  and  gradually  introducing  them 
to  sunshine  and  warmth.  The  children  can  water  them 
under  direction,  measure  growth,  watch  development, 
smell  and  admire  to  their  heart's  content.  Bring  in 
bud-covered  branches  of  fruit-trees  in  earliest  spring 
so  that  the  child  can  observe  them  bloom  and  leave. 
Do  likewise  with  pussy-willow,  and  after  they  have 
done  blooming  set  them  out  in  the  ground,  where  they 
usually  thrive  and  grow. 

Make  snow  the  subject  of  a  lesson.  Melt  it  on  the 
stove,  to  show  that  it  becomes  water,  then  pour  the 
water  through  a  strainer  to  show  that  the  water  can 
also  become  rain.  If  the  holes  of  the  strainer  are  too 
large,  put  blotting  paper  on  the  bottom  so  that  the 
water  will  run  slowly  through,  drop  by  drop. 

Children  of  five  or  six  should  learn  to  know  the 
various  vegetables,  observing  and  comparing  leaves, 
stems,  roots,  etc.  Teach  them  also  to  recognize  and 
name  each  of  the  trees  on  or  near  your  premises,  but 
do  not  expect  such  young  children  to  notice  very  much 
of  their  differences.  This  must  come  gradually.  Make 
them  notice  first  the  common  characteristics  and  thus 
get  a  correct  mental  picture  of  a  tree.    Teach  them  to 


opening  the  Mind*s  Gateways  1 1 1 

know  the  flowers  by  blossom,  odor,  leaf.  Play  games, 
such  as  showing  the  child  a  leaf  from  a  certain  plant 
and  sending  him  to  find  that  plant.  By  pulling  oflF  a 
branch  or  twig,  show  Margaret  the  horseshoe-shaped 
scar  whence  the  horsechestnut  is  said  to  get  its  name. 

Quicken  the  mind  of  a  five-year-old  by  such  exer- 
cises as  this :  "Eddie,  let  us  pretend  that  I  do  not  know 
a  radish  when  I  see  it.'  Tell  me  where  to  find  a  bed  of 
them  and  describe  the  radish  to  me  so  that  I  shall  know 
it  is  a  radish."  Then,  using  the  proper  terms,  such  as 
right  or  left,  etc.,  he  will  tell  you  the  way  to  take 
through  the  house  and  direct  you  to  the  right  place  in 
the  garden,  explain  to  you  what  the  leaves  look  like, 
how  close  the  plants  grow  to  each  other,  etc.  Fre- 
quent practice  of  this  kind  makes  him  think  before  he 
speaks,  and  obliges  him  to  use  accurate  language. 

The  child  of  six  or  thereabouts  should  measure  with 
units  which  are  not  standardized;  for  instance,  find 
how  many  pencil-lengths  this  table  is,  in  length  and 
width;  how  many  cubits  (elbow  to  tip  of  middle 
finger)  ;  how  many  book-lengths.  Do  not  explain  that 
such  measuring  is  valueless  because  the  chosen  unit 
is  not  generally  accepted,  until  the  child  indicates  that 
he  is  ready  for  the  necessary  explanation ;  that  is,  until 
he  realizes  that  something  more  suitable  is  needed.  It 
does  not  matter  if  it  be  two  years  hence  before  he 
wakes  up  to  this  thought;  if  given  too  soon  it  is  a  mere 
fact  and  of  no  educational  value,  but  given  at  the  right 
time  it  is  a  necessary  and  important  step  forward  in 
education.  Another  way  of  training  the  eye  is  by 
taking  a  yardstick  as  a  standard,  and  estimating  com- 
parative lengths  and  heights.  Is  the  yardstick  longer 
or  shorter  than  the  table,  rug,  dog,  width  of  door  or 


112     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

window,  stove,  etc.  ?  Several  children  can  take  part  in 
these  lessons.  Considerably  later  use  the  foot  as  a  unit, 
and  later  still,  the  inch. 

Give  lessons  that  combine  training  of  hand  and  eye. 
Make  the  child  fill  a  pail  or  other  vessel  with  water 
or  sand  by  the  cupful,  teach  her  to  estimate  whether 
the  vessel  will  hold  another  cupful,  make  her  empty 
the  contents  by  cupfuls,  taking  out  a  full  cup  each 
tiiTie,  watching  how  the  contents  get  less  and  approach 
the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  and  judging  whether  there  is 
another  cupful  left.  These  are  important  tasks,  pre- 
liminary to  arithmetic  lessons.  The  measuring  steadies 
the  mind  and  trains  it  in  judgment.  Such  lessons  are 
not  for  one  year  only,  but  are  to  be  repeated  year  after 
year  with  such  variations,  extensions,  and  amplifica- 
tions as  you  can  devise. 

Teach  the  child  the  name  of  the  thermometer,  the 
scale,  the  glass  tube  and  bulb,  the  mercury,  the  main 
purpose  in  this  being  to  familiarize  him  with  his  imme- 
diate surroundings,  to  habituate  him  to  learn  the 
names  of  familiar  objects.  Very  little  information 
concerning  the  thermometer  or  mercury  will  be  intelli- 
gible to  a  child  of  seven,  but  show  him  if  possible  how 
quickly  it  seems  to  run  about  on  a  slightly  slanting 
surface.  After  he  has  gained  an  idea  of  the  weight 
of  mercury  as  compared  with  that  of  other  common 
substances,  ask  him  if  he  would  be  likely  to  go  down 
in  a  lake  of  quicksilver  or  mercury. 

On  clear  nights,  especially  in  "the  dark  of  the  moon," 
point  out  a  few  of  the  most  conspicuous  constellations, 
as  the  Great  Dipper,  Orion,  Cassiopeia's  Chair,  Leo 
with  Regulus,  Andromeda.  If  you  have  forgotten 
what  you  once  knew  about  them,  get  a  book  on  popu- 


opening  the  Mind's  Gateways  113 

lar  astronomy,  which  contains  also  the  myths  referring 
to  these  constellations.  Watch  the  same  bright  star 
night  after  night.  When  it  disappears  from  the  eve- 
ning sky  like  the  sun,  it  has  set,  to  rise  again.  Teach 
the  cardinal  points  of  the  compass  so  that  the  child  will 
know  from  which  window  to  look  to  see  east,  west, 
north,  south. 

Watch  for  the  new  moon.  Note  the  part  of  the  sky 
in  which  you  first  see  it,  whether  it  is  nearer  the  hori- 
zon or  the  zenith,  ask  the  child  which  half  of  the  disk, 
the  right  or  left,  is  visible,  whether  her  horns  point 
right  or  left,  east  or  west.  From  day  to  day  note  its 
apparent  change  of  illumination  and  position,  until 
the  waning  moon  is  seen.  Which  half  of  the  disk  is 
now  visible?  Do  her  horns  point  right  or  left,  east 
or  west?  Show  the  children  the  phenomenon  desig- 
nated in  Scotland  as  "the  new  moon  with  the  old  moon 
in  her  arms."  Lead  them  to  see  that  the  new  moon 
rises  about  the  same  time  as  the  sun  and  sets  with  him ; 
that  the  full  moon  rises  about  sunset  and  sets  about 
sunrise. 

Make  gardening  the  backbone  of  the  summer's 
instruction,  even  if  your  garden  be  only  a  few  square 
feet  of  earth.  If  the  child  works  with  you  each  day 
at  weeding  and  cultivating,  asking  questions  suggested 
by  those  operations,  and  having  her  attention  directed 
to  all  natural  and  artificial  things  with  which  she  comes 
in  contact,  she  will  get  exactly  what  she  needs  of  nature 
study,  combined  with  essential  habit-training.  Watch 
for  each  dear  little  green  plant  that  puts  its  head  above 
ground;  for  unfolding  leaves  and  for  the  insects  that 
visit  the  plant.  Point  out  and  explain  to  her  the  dis- 
tinguishing characteristics  of   weeds  and  vegetables. 


114     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

When  she  has  learned  to  discriminate  between  them, 
make  her  pull  weeds  for  a  short  period  each  day  when- 
ever this  is  practicable.  Do  not  leave  this  to  her 
choice,  do  not  let  her  pull  a  weed  here  and  a  weed 
there,  but  mark  off  clearly  each  day  a  little  space  which 
she  is  to  clear  of  weeds.  Interest  her  in  the  various 
creatures  that  turn  up  in  the  garden — ^beetle,  cutworm, 
angleworm,  ant,  spider,  grasshopper,  fly,  butterfly, 
moth,  toad,  mole,  newt,  snake.  Teach  her  not  only  to 
recognize  each  but  to  know,  as  far  as  possible,  where 
each  one  lives,  whether  underground,  on  the  ground, 
or  above  her  head.  Let  her  find  this  out  as  each  one 
scurries  for  safety  after  being  forced  from  its  tempo- 
rary hiding  place  or  permanent  abode  under  the  weeds. 
In  this  way  you  are  combining  lessons  in  observation, 
regularity,  and  useful  activity. 

Then,  when  there  is  spare  time  indoors,  you  could 
look  up  pictures  or  descriptions  of  these  things,  so  that 
the  child  would  gain  two  kinds  of  information,  empiri- 
cal, through  direct  practical  experience;  theoretical, 
through  books  and  illustrations.  I  should  recommend 
farming,  before  any  other  industry,  for  the  children's 
instruction.  Through  it  a  sound,  wholesome,  perfect 
education  can  be  obtained,  that  beautiful,  harmonious, 
and  humane  education  which  does  not  depend  on  books 
and  schooling  as  indispensable  essentials,  but  values 
highly  good  books  and  suitable  schooling  as  powerful 
and  beneficent  aids. 

Now,  perhaps,  after  this  rambling  talk,  we  may 
formulate  a  few  rules  for  sense-training :  ( i )  Observe 
the  object  by  as  many  of  the  five  senses  as  may  be 
practicable.  (2)  Find  its  name.  (3)  Let  the  child 
give  his  own  description  of  the  object  in  answer  to 


opening  the  Mind's  Gateways  115 

simple,  suitable  and  carefully-graded  questions.  (4) 
Lead  the  child  by  questioning  to  compare  the  object  of 
the  lesson  with  more  familiar  objects.  (5)  Give  the 
child  suitable  additional  information,  based  on  the 
information  gathered.  (6)  Teach  him  a  suitable 
proverb,  maxim,  or  a  passage  from  a  poem  illustrating 
the  thoughts  or  discoveries  of  others  in  relation  to  the 
object;  read  an  appropriate  story  or  help  the  child  to 
find  such  reading. 

In  the  first  year  of  instruction,  when  the  child  is 
about  three,  he  should  learn  to  distinguish  a  tree  from 
other  objects;  to  see  the  difference  between  trunk, 
branches,  and  leaves. 

Ask  such  questions  as:  Which  is  larger,  the  trunk 
or  the  branch  ?    The  branch  or  the  leaf  ? 

"Show  me  a  long  branch."    "Here  is  a  long  branch." 

"Show  me  a  short  branch."  "Here  is  a  short 
branch." 

Say  to  the  child:  "Rub  your  hand  on  the  bark  of 
that  tree  (oak  or  maple  or  apple-tree).  Now,  that 
bark  is  rough/' 

"Rub  your  hand  on  the  skin  of  mother's  face.  That 
is  not  rough.    It  is  smooth." 

Let  the  child  pull  a  leaf  through  its  fingers.  "Is  one 
side  of  the  leaf  rougher  than  the  other  side?"  "Which 
is  smoother,  the  upper  or  the  lower  side?"  "Which 
side  is  shiny?"  "Which  side  is  not  so  bright  or  shiny?" 
Ans.  "The  lower  side  is  not  shiny.     It  is  dull." 

"Has  the  leaf  a  stalk?"  "Is  the  stalk  shorter  or 
longer  than  the  leaf?"  "Find  another  leaf."  "Crum- 
ple it  in  your  fingers."     "Does  it  feel  dry  or  moist?" 

Put  one  leaf  on  top  of  another  to  compare  the  sizes. 
"Which  leaf  is  larger?"     "Which  is  smaller?" 


ii6     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

Tell  the  child  to  gather  leaves,  then  to  put  the  large 
ones  in  one  pile  and  the  small  ones  in  another. 

''How  many  piles  have  you?"     "I  have  two  piles." 

"In  which  pile  are  more  leaves?"  "There  are  more 
leaves  in  this  pile." 

Call  the  child's  attention  to  the  rustling  and  stirring 
of  the  leaves  in  the  wind,  and  to  the  dry  leaves  blown 
about.  "They  have  left  their  safe  homes.  That  is 
why  they  are  blown  about." 

Such  lines  as  the  following  are  suitable  for  memo- 
rizing : 

"  'Come,  little  leaves,'  said  the  wind  one  day, 
'Come  to  the  meadows  with  me  to  play.* " 

Dress  the  child  so  that  its  dress  does  not  interfere 
with  such  outdoor  lessons. 

Repeat  day  after  day  such  lessons,  always  varying 
the  point  of  view.  It  takes  a  child  a  long,  long  time, 
for  instance,  to  distinguish  between  leaf  and  twig,  twig 
and  branch,  branch  and  trunk,  and  to  visualize  each 
in  the  moment  it  hears  the  word. 

SECOND   YEAR 

Review  the  lessons  of  the  preceding  year,  always 
amplifying  and  expanding  them.     Follow  the  same 
method. 
Additional  Lessons: 

Teach  the  child  to  measure  with  eye,  hand,  and 
foot. 

"Can  you  reach  around  the  tree?  Try  it.  If  not, 
why  not?" 

"Because  my  arms  are  not  long  enough  to  reach 
round  it." 


opening  the  Mind's  Gateways  117 

"Can  mother  reach  round  it?"  "Why?"  "Because 
her  arms  are  longer." 

You  can  find  a  thousand  variations  of  such  ques- 
tions. 

"Can  you  reach  the  lowest  branches  ?  Try  it.  Why 
not?" 

"Because  I  am  not  tall  enough." 

"Can  father  reach  them?"  "Why?"  "Because  he  is 
taller  than  I." 

"How  many  times  taller?"     "Twice  as  tall." 

"Which  is  lower,  the  trunk  or  the  branches?" 

"Which  is  higher,  the  trunk  or  the  branches?" 

"Stand  here.  Can  you  touch  the  tree  with  your 
hand?     Try  it." 

"Can  you  kick  the  tree?     Try  it." 

"Is  this  leaf  as  long  as  your  hand?  Let  us  measure 
and  see." 

"Is  it  as  broad  as  your  hand?" 

"Which  is  broader,  this  leaf  or  your  foot?" 

"Can  you  span  this  branch  with  your  hands?"  (Illus- 
trate.) 

"Can  you  put  your  fingers  around  father's  walking- 
stick?"     "Why?"     "Because  it  is  thinner." 

Show  the  child  the  difference  between  straight  and 
crooked  by  pointing  out  the  trunks  of  different  trees. 
"Which  one  do  you  like  better,  the  straight  one  or  the 
crooked  one?" 

THIRD   YEAR 

Review  the  lessons  of  the  preceding  year,  always 
amplifying  and  expanding  them.     Follow   the  same 
method. 
Additional  Lessons: 

Until  now  the  lessons  have  been  confined  mainly  to 


ii8     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-M other 

single  visible  facts.  We  shall  now  begin  to  compare 
and  combine  them. 

Let  the  child  watch  the  tree  swaying  and  bending  in 
the  wind.  It  is  strong  enough  to  resist.  Ask :  "What 
would  happen  if  a  much  stronger  storm  should  blow?" 

Show  him  a  branch  broken  off,  or  a  tree  broken,  by 
the  wind. 

Explain  and  illustrate  that  without  the  support  of 
the  underground  roots  which  anchor  it,  the  tree  could 
not  resist  the  wind,  any  more  than  a  broom  could 
stand  upside  down  alone.  If  possible,  show  the  child 
a  tree  uprooted  by  the  wind. 

Now  try  to  give  the  child  such  a  notion  of  the  tree 
(or  of  any  other  object  in  question)  that  the  name 
calls  to  his  mind  not  only  one  part  of  the  tree — ^the 
part  from  crown  to  foot — but  the  whole  tree,  from 
crown  to  root-tip.  He  should  see  the  underground 
stem  and  branches,  which  may  be  considered  an  in- 
verted image  of  the  upper  tree,  that,  in  certain  cases, 
is  normally  quite  as  large  as  the  upper  tree.  It  takes 
a  very  long  time  for  a  child  to  understand  all  this,  to 
connect  effect  with  cause.  The  capability  of  spelling 
and  pronouncing  a  word  does  not  prove  understand- 
ing. Patient  and  constant  repetition  and  variation  are 
necessary.  The  teacher-mother  should  not  ask  the 
young  child  whether  he  understands  a  thing,  for  he 
does  not  know  whether  he  does  or  not.  She  must 
find  this  thing  out  by  suitable  and  searching  questions. 

Find  a  pool  of  water  in  which  a  tree  is  mirrored. 

Mother  :  "Look  at  this  picture.  What  do  you  see?" 

Child  :  "I  see  a  tree  growing  upside  down,  and  the 
sky  is  under  it." 

Explain  this  to  the  child.    Then  explain  that,  except 


opening  the  Mind's  Gateways  119 

for  leaves  (and  fruit  or  seeds)  this  picture  shows  what 
the  underground  part  of  the  tree  is  like.  The  main 
root,  which  appears  in  the  picture  as  the  trunk,  some- 
times continues  straight  down  for  many  feet,  unless 
it  encounters  an  obstacle  that  makes  it  grow  crooked. 
From  this  main  root  extend  its  branches,  called  roots, 
diminishing  in  size  from  the  surface  downward.  From 
these  roots  grow  the  rootlets,  corresponding  to  the 
twigs.  A  small  plant,  as  a  dandelion,  which  has  a  tap- 
root, may  be  pulled  or  dug  up,  and  will  illustrate  this 
in  a  small  way. 

Now  let  the  child  draw  pictures  of  trees  as  they 
appear  to  him.  These  drawings  will  be  only  crude 
sketches  and  should  show  trunk,  branches,  roots,  and 
leaves.     Correct  drawings  must  not  be  expected. 

"When  is  the  tree's  shadow  longer,  in  the  morning, 
at  noon,  or  at  night?" 

"Does  the  shadow  always  lie  on  the  same  side  of  the 
tree?" 

Show  the  child  how  to  measure  the  shadow  by  pac- 
ing it  off. 

Cut  a  stick  that  measures  the  child's  own  height  and 
let  him  find  with  it  how  many  times  his  height  is  the 
tree's  shadow,  or  find  how  many  broom-handles  (or 
yardsticks)  long  the  shadow  is. 

Tell  the  child  about  the  sap  mounting  to  the  tree- 
top  and  nourishing  the  wood  and  leaves. 

Such  lines  as  the  following  are  suitable  for  memo- 
rizing : 

"How  do  the  leaves  grow 
In  spring,  upon  the  stem? 
The  sap  wells  up  with  a  drop  for  all. 
And  that  is  life  to  them." 


120     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

FOURTH    YEAR 

Review  the  lessons  of  the  preceding  year,  always 
amplifying  and  expanding  them.  Follow  the  same 
method. 

We  shall  continue  to  use  the  tree  as  an  example  of 
such  amplification  and  expansion. 

Make  the  child  find  and  bring  a  large  leaf,  perfect 
and  complete  in  all  its  parts.  *' Notice  the  framework 
of  this  leaf.  This  framework  is  made  up  of  veins,  or 
tiny  hollow  tubes,  like  those  which  you  can  trace  under 
your  own  skin."  (Show  him.)  'That  large  central 
vein  is  the  midrib."  (Show  him  that  the  midrib  ex- 
tends from  the  leaf-stalk;  thus  some  leaves  have  more 
than  one  midrib;  the  maple  has  five.)  'Is  the  midrib 
branched?"  **Do  these  other  veins  start  from  the 
midrib  or  from  the  base  of  the  leaf  ?" 

Let  the  child  lay  the  leaf  flat  on  a  piece  of  paper 
and  following  the  outline  with  a  pencil,  trace  it,  then 
draw  the  framework.  This  crude  sketch  should  show 
whether  the  veins  branch  from  the  midrib  or  extend 
from  the  leaf -base. 

* 'These  veins  have  an  important  use.  You  have 
learned  about  the  sap  or  juice  of  a  tree.  It  carries  up 
to  the  leaves  and  into  their  veins  the  water  and  food- 
materials  which  the  roots  have  sucked  up  from  the 
earth.  All  water  above  the  quantity  needed  is  breathed 
out  by  the  leaves  as  vapor  into  the  air.  The  food- 
materials  are,  with  the  help  of  sunlight,  changed  into 
plant- food,  much  as  our  food  is  prepared  by  the  diges- 
tive organs  before  it  reaches  the  various  parts  of  our 
body.  Thus  the  plant- food  is  carried  away  by  the  sap 
to  every  part  of  the  tree,  from  root  to  crown. 


opening  the  Mind's  Gateways  121 

"What  would  happen  to  the  tree  if  more  or  less  of 
the  sap,  or  all  of  the  sap,  were  to  leak  out?" 

"It  would  be  sickly."    "It  would  die." 

"This  bleeding  of  the  tree  can  and  should  be 
stopped."  Mention  might  be  made  here  of  first  aid  to 
the  injured. 

"A  tree  grows  from  the  inside  out.  Each  year  it 
puts  on  a  new  layer  of  wood  inside  the  bark,  which 
stretches  the  bark,  and  if  the  latter  is  tough,  cracks  or 
tears  it." 

"In  the  autumn  the  sap  ceases  to  flow  into  the  trunk 
and  feeds  the  roots  only  which  are  kept  warm  in 
Mother  Earth's  lap.  The  tree  goes  to  sleep  for  the 
winter.  What  changes  take  place  in  the  tree's  appear- 
ance?" 

"What  colors  can  you  find  in  the  autumn  leaves?" 

"Can  you  tread  silently  on  the  fallen  leaves?"  "Why 
not?" 

"Early  next  spring  the  big  winds  will  help  to  awaken 
the  trees ;  the  bending  and  swaying  start  the  sap  climb- 
ing, just  as  the  squeezing  of  a  sponge  and  the  subse- 
quent relaxing  of  pressure  will  make  water  fill  it. 
This  is  one  of  the  many  useful  things  which  the  winds 
do.  Can  we  wonder  that  the  ancients  thought  that  the 
winds  were  gods?  Can  you  name  any  other  useful 
things  that  the  winds  do?" 

Have  the  child  look  for  lichen,  fungi,  moss,  mistle- 
toe, and  the  like,  growing  on  trees.  "How  do  the 
storms  help  the  trees  to  keep  free  of  such  a  growth?" 
"If  there  were  no  storms  the  tree  might  die  of  their 
too  rank  growth." 

"What  God  sends  is  always  well, 
Though  why,  'tis  often  hard  to  tell." 


122     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

Show  the  child  the  fruit  of  trees.  Make  him  under- 
stand that  all  trees,  not  only  so-called  fruit-trees,  bear 
fruit,  that  the  word  fruit  means  the  seed  and  its  sur- 
rounding tissue,  not  merely  something  good  to  eat. 

"See  how  the  seeds  are  protected  (for  instance,  in 
acorn,  cone,  nut,  apple,  peach,  etc.).'*  "Do  the  seeds 
need  such  protection?" 

Let  the  child  hunt  for  a  baby  seedling,  examine,  re- 
plant, tend,  and  watch  it.  See  that  the  tending  is  care- 
fully and  regularly  done.  Hunt  for  larger  seedlings; 
pull  up  a  few  worthless  ones  to  see  root- formation. 
Note  the  peculiar  smell  of  the  fresh  earth  on  the  roots. 
Let  the  child,  where  possible,  watch  the  process  of  tree- 
transplanting  and  notice  the  care  taken  to  lay  undam- 
aged roots  out  as  they  grow. 

"What  are  roots?"  "Roots  are  the  part  of  the  tree 
that  is  underground." 

"Of  what  use  are  they?"  "They  hold  the  tree  firmly 
and  draw  food  and  water  for  it  from  the  ground." 

"What  is  the  bark?"  "The  bark  is  the  skin  of  the 
tree." 

(Explain  the  colloquialism,  "I  barked  my  shins.") 
"What  parts  of  the  tree  are  bark-covered?" 
"The  trunk  and  branches  are  bark-covered." 
"What  causes  the  cracks  or  furrows  in  the  bark  of 
this  maple  (or  oak,  willow,  apple-tree,  etc.)  ?" 

"The  tree  grows  from  the  inside  and  bursts  its 
bark." 

"Could  the  tree  live  if  the  bark  were  removed?" 
"No,  because  the  sap  would  leak  out." 
"Are  the  roots  and  rootlets  bark-covered?" 
"Yes,  they  are,  just  as  the  trunk  and  twigs." 


opening  the  Mind's  Gateways  123 

"\^^at  is  a  twig?"     "A  twig  is  a  small  branch." 

"What  is  the  fruit  of  this  tree  called  (oak,  maple, 
beech,  one  of  the  so-called  fruit-trees,  one  of  the  coni- 
fers, etc.)" 

"Great  oaks  from  little  acorns  grow." 

"WTiat  is  a  seed?" 

"A  seed  is  the  part  of  the  fruit  from  which  a  new 
tree  can  spring." 

"What  is  a  seedling?"    "A  seedling  is  a  baby  tree." 

When  the  child  has  a  notion  of  what  our  model  tree 
is,  through  learning  a  large  number  of  the  character- 
istics which  any  one  special  tree  has  in  common  with 
all  other  trees,  we  may  pass  from  one  kind  of  tree  to 
various  kinds  of  trees,  to  make  that  notion  clear  and 
general. 

"What  kind  of  tree  is  nearest  the  house?" 

"What  kind  is  nearest  the  fence?" 

"What  kind  of  tree  has  the  largest  trunk?"  "The 
longest  trunk?" 

"Which  one  has  the  largest  branches?" 

"Which  one  can  you  climb  ?" 

"Which  one  is  the  best  home  for  the  birds?" 
"Why?" 

Let  the  child  observe  many  points  of  difference  in 
trees — size,  form,  bark,  odor,  leaf. 

"Name  trees  that  have  rough  bark;  smooth  bark?" 

"Name  a  tree  that  has  long,  narrow  leaves,  broad 
leaves,  leaves  pointed  at  the  tip,  leaves  with  a  sawlike 
edge." 

A  suitable  quotation  is :  "We  all  do  fade,  as  a  leaf." 

Tell  the  story  of  the  barren  fig-tree. 


124     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

FIFTH   YEAR 

Review  the  lessons  of  the  preceding  year,  always 
amplifying  and  expanding  them. 
Additional  Lessons: 

Have  the  child  tell  you  from  his  own  observation 
which  trees,  like  the  maple,  shed  their  leaves  in  autumn 
and  which  trees,  like  the  pine,  retain  their  leaves  until 
new  ones  are  formed.  The  latter,  as  well  as  the  former, 
shed  their  leaves,  but  at  different  seasons.  As  proof, 
observe  the  leaves  or  needles  of  conifers  on  the 
ground.  Observe  the  bright  new  leaves  and  the  dull 
old  ones  on  the  tree. 

Explain  the  meaning  of  to  grow:  "To  increase  in 
size  and  strength  by  a  natural  process." 

Lead  the  child  to  see  that,  while  most  conifers  are 
"evergreen,"  all  are  not  evergreen — the  tamarack  or 
larch,  for  example.  A  true  evergreen  is  the  English 
ivy. 

"A  green  old  age."  (Always  look  for  similar  phrases 
and  saws  to  introduce  a  figurative  and  metaphorical 
meaning  of  words.) 

Let  the  child  find  in  the  vegetable  and  animal  king- 
dom as  many  examples  as  possible  of  periodical  shed- 
ding and  renewal  as  a  part  of  the  process  of  growing; 
the  stag  shedding  and  renewing  his  antlers;  the  lob- 
ster its  shell;  the  snake  its  skin;  the  locust  its  coat; 
the  barnyard  fowl  its  feathers ;  the  horse  and  cow  their 
hair ;  the  fur-bearing  animal  its  fur. 

Procure,  if  you  can,  a  cross-section  (or  its  picture) 
of  a  tree-trunk  and  show  the  rings  of  annual  growth. 
Make  the  child  understand  from  this  the  long,  long 
time  it  takes  for  some  trees  to  attain  their  growth. 


opening  the  Mind's  Gateways  125 

Let  him  strip  from  a  newly-cut  log  the  tough  outer 
bark  and  the  soft  inner  bark.  Contrast  texture  and 
color.  Point  out  that  the  human  skin  has  two  layers, 
but  do  not  plague  the  child  of  seven  with  such  terms 
as  dermis  and  epidermis. 

Explain  girdling:  ^'making  a  circular  cut  around 
the  tree  through  the  bark."  Illustrate  by  helping  the 
child  girdle  a  tree-section  or  stump,  not  a  living  tree, 
as  it  would  be  injured.  Let  him  girdle  the  living 
tree  with  white  chalk. 

Apply  the  following  method  to  make  clear  that  part 
of  Longfellow's  poem,  ''Hiawatha,"  which  describes 
removing  the  bark  from  a  standing  birch  to  make  a 
canoe. 

"With  his  knife  the  tree  he  girdled." 

"What  did  he  do?" 

"He  made  a  cut  around  the  tree  with  his  knife." 

"But  the  poem  says:  'Just  beneath  its  lowest 
branches.'  Show  me  on  this  tree  where  the  cut  was 
made." 

When  the  child  correctly  "girdles"  the  tree  with  his 
chalk,  repeat  the  next  verse : 

"Just  above  the  roots  he  cut  it."  Make  the  child 
mark  this  cut  also. 

Then :  "Down  the  trunk,  from  top  to  bottom,"  the 
child  draws  the  chalk. 

"Sheer  he  cleft  the  bark  asunder." 

"What  does  cleft  mean?"  Make  clear  its  meaning 
as  cut. 

"What  does  asunder  mean?" 

"What  does  sheer  mean  here?"  "It  means  en- 
tirely." 

Next:  "With  a  wooden  wedge  he  raised  it."     Let 


126     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

the  child  find  a  wedge  and  indicate  the  motions  by 
which  he  would  raise  the  bark. 

"Stripped  it  from  the  trunk  unbroken." 

Make  the  child  hold  a  large  sheet  of  wrapping  paper 
so  as  to  form  a  hollow  cylinder,  to  understand  better 
the  form  of  the  bark.  Make  him  see  that  it  was  still 
the  size  and  form  of  the  tree-trunk.  Ask  him  how  the 
tree  now  looked  without  its  wrapper,  and  tell  him  how 
it  **shivered  in  the  breeze  of  morning." 

This  lesson  shows  how  lessons  in  language  must  be 
coordinated  with  lessons  in  observation  and  must  be 
based  on  them. 

On  several  trees  let  the  child  find  the  distance  from 
their  lowest  branches  to  their  roots  by  climbing  to  the 
first  branch,  letting  down  a  plumb-line,  and  then  meas- 
uring its  length  with  a  foot-rule.  Let  him  find  the 
length  of  the  tree's  circumference  by  using  a  tape- 
measure.  Then  let  him  tell  you  the  length  and  width 
of  the  flattened  sheet  of  bark  that  could  be  removed 
from  the  tree.  Do  this  many  times,  with  many  kinds 
of  trees  and  with  trees  of  different  sizes.  After  that, 
let  the  child  estimate  first,  then  measure,  to  see  whether 
his  estimate  is  correct. 

Explain  circumference,  "the  line  that  goes  around 
the  tree,  making  a  circle."  Let  him  find  the  circum- 
ference of  many  trees,  so  that  the  word  will  always 
be  correctly  associated  with  its  meaning.  After  he 
has  found  the  circumference  of  a  tree-stump,  show  him 
how  to  find  the  diameter,  "the  length  of  a  straight  line 
through  the  center,  from  side  to  side,"  and  have  him 
chalk  this  line  if  possible  on  the  upper  surface. 

"Now  name  each  one  of  the  different  parts  of  a  tree 
in  order." 


opening  the  Mind*s  Gateways  127 

"Root,  trunk,  bark,  branch,  bough  or  limb,  twig, 
leaf,  sap,  fruit,  seed.** 

"Is  a  tree  a  natural  or  an  artificial  object?** 

When  the  child  once  understands  that  it  is  natural, 
ask:  "To  which  of  the  three  great  kingdoms  does  it 
belong — animal,  vegetable,  or  mineral?" 

When  the  child  has  been  made  to  understand  that  it 
belongs  to  the  vegetable  kingdom,  lead  him  to  see  the 
difference  between  tree,  shrub,  and  bark.  If  the  child's 
answer  is  incorrect,  do  not  give  the  correct  answer, 
but  lead  the  child  to  find  for  himself  the  correction  of 
his  false  answer  by  showing  him  in  what  points  his 
answer  is  wrong.  Through  mistakes  and  corrections 
the  child  forms  for  himself  a  clear  notion  of  the  sub- 
ject. 

"What  are  leaves?** 

"Leaves  are  the  part  of  the  tree  by  means  of  which 
it  breathes.** 

"What  is  a  tree?'* 

"A  tree  is  a  plant  ten  feet  or  more  in  height,  which 
is  woody  and  has  one  trunk.**  (This  should  be  "which 
has  a  woody  tissue,**  but  the  word  tissue  is  at  this  time 
too  difficult  and  should  be  avoided.) 

"What  are  woods?" 

"Woods  are  tracts  of  land  covered  with  underbrush 
and  with  trees  that  are  not  fruit-trees.** 

"What  is  a  forest?" 

"A  forest  is  a  large  tract  of  woods.** 

Now  lead  the  child  on  to  discover  for  himself  and 
from  his  own  experience  the  many  and  varied  benefits 
which  we  owe  to  trees. 

(Avoid  as  much  as  possible  at  this  stage  the  phrase 
of  what  use  instead  of  what  benefit.     It  is  much  too 


128     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

early  to  introduce  the  idea  of  commercial  value,  which 
leads  to  materialism.  Benefits,  on  the  other  hand, 
engenders  the  idea  of  gratitude.) 

**Trees  shelter  buildings  and  cattle  from  big  storms. 
They  protect  the  ground  from  damage  by  heavy  rains, 
the  drops  striking  the  leaves  and  rolling  down  instead 
of  tearing  the  ground.  They  loosen  the  earth,  so  that 
water  soaks  into  it  instead  of  running  off  the  surface 
and  causing  disastrous  floods,  then  drouth.  They  les- 
sen the  danger  of  fires  sweeping  large  areas.  They 
afford  protection  and  homes  for  pest-destroying  birds. 
They  furnish  fuel.  Many  industries  depend  wholly 
or  partly  on  trees — building;  furniture-making;  ship- 
building; tanning  of  hides.  Trees  add  beauty  and 
character  to  the  landscape." 

Through  questioning  try  to  make  the  child  realize 
on  what  tree-life,  as  all  life,  depends :  air,  heat,  water, 
light.  Let  the  child  experiment  with  small  plants, 
preferably  weeds,  to  test  this.  For  instance,  let  him 
transplant  a  vigorous  weed  with  plenty  of  good  earth 
in  which  it  grows,  in  a  flower-pot,  water  it  well,  and 
put  it  in  a  dark  place.  What  would  be  the  effect  of 
the  absence  of  light?  Now  vary  the  conditions  and 
put  another  weed,  similarly  transplanting  in  a  sunny 
place,  but  do  not  water  it.  What  would  now  be  the 
result?  and  so  on.  You  cannot  expect  the  child  of 
seven  to  understand  all  conditions  connected  with  such 
an  experiment.  Use  your  own  judgment.  Good  judg- 
ment is  more  often  shown  by  what  you  do  not  say  than 
by  what  you  do. 

Such  lines  as  the  following  are  suitable  for  memo- 
rizing : 


opening  the  Mind's  Gateways  129 

"Sing  for  the  oak-tree, 

The  monarch  of  the  wood ; 
Sing  for  the  oak-tree, 

That  groweth  green  and  good ; 
That  groweth  broad  and  branching 

Within  the  forest's  shade ; 
That  groweth  now  and  still  shall  grow 

When  we  are  lowly  laid." 

''Can  you  find  two  leaves  exactly  alike?"  The  search 
for  them  finally  leads  to  the  soul-compelling  thought 
that  God  has  designed  millions  of  leaves,  each  and 
every  one  different  from  the  others.  Remember,  I 
would  not  state  that  there  are  no  two  leaves  exactly 
alike.  Even  a  young  child  should  learn  better  than  to 
state  as  a  fact  something  of  which  the  contrary  has 
yet  to  be  proved.  We  are  all  too  ready  to  jump  at 
conclusions  and  generalize  on  a  limited  amount  of 
evidence. 

From  the  particular  knowledge  gained  little  by  little 
through  the  senses,  the  pupil  arrives  in  due  time  at 
general  notions,  to  which  there  is  no  safe  and  sound 
short-cut. 

A  child  must  learn  the  same  thing  about  a  great 
many  separate  things  before  he  can  combine  this  knowl- 
edge into  generalities.  Contrary  to  the  general  impres- 
sion, children  learn  slowly.  You  must  repeat  the  sim- 
plest lessons  day  after  day,  always  varying  the  point 
of  view. 

Do  not  be  misled  into  assuming  that  repetition  is 
monotonous  to  the  child.  Observation,  thus  taught, 
brings  fresh  wonders  with  each  repetition.  One  cause 
for  many  admitted  educational  failures  is  the  teacher's 


130     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

repugnance  to  sticking  to  one  thing,  going  patiently 
over  and  over  it  until  understanding  comes,  and  only 
then  encouraging  the  pupil  to  make  his  own  deductions. 
That  is  why  the  present  usual  school  course  makes  it 
difficult  for  the  pupils  so  unfortunate  as  to  go  step  by 
step  through  the  grades,  ever  to  arrive  at  independence 
of  thought  and  opinion  on  subjects  of  vital  importance. 
I  am  not  speaking  so  much  of  the  school  as  you  knew 
it,  or  as  your  parents  knew  it,  but  as  it  is  to-day. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

PLAY 

In  recent  years  many  attempts  have  been  made  to 
write  something  new  on  this  very  old  subject  of  child's 
play,  and  with  such  success  that  the  reader  who  goes 
through  these  volumes  is  tempted  to  believe  that  this 
phase  of  child-training  was  perhaps  best  understood, 
or  at  least  best  managed,  in  those  good  old  times  when 
it  was  least  discussed.  My  immediate  criticism  is 
directed  towards  the  cold-blooded  analysis  of  every 
single  game  that  children  ever  played  and  loved,  in 
order  that  its  practical  value  for  strengthening  muscles 
or  increasing  brain  area  may  be  catalogued. 

Not  long  ago  a  man  who  is  distinguished  as  a  class- 
room vivisectionist  of  children's  minds  paid  a  visit 
to  our  schoolyard  during  recess.  The  pupils  were 
enjoying  themselves  in  various  simple  games,  not  one 
of  which  met  with  the  great  man's  approval,  that  of 
seesaw  exciting  his  displeasure  particularly,  on  the 
ground  that  it  had  no  practical  advantages  either  phys- 
ically or  intellectually,  nor  even  the  recommendation 
of  socially  sensitizing  the  children.  In  fact,  as  far  as 
he  could  see,  it  was  not  much  good.  The  idea  of  "so- 
cially sensitizing"  my  pupils  completely  disarmed  me, 
for  neither  you  nor  I  would  brave  discussion  with  such 
a  walking  repository  of  words.  Now  that  we  are  at 
a  safe  distance,  however,  let  us  ask  ourselves  what 
we  can  say  in  favor  of  the  maligned  seesaw.    When  a 

131 


132     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher -Mother 

child  has  been  working  steadily,  especially  at  book- 
lessons,  nothing  refreshes  him  so  quickly  and  com- 
pletely as  a  holiday  of  the  mind,  when  he  may  play 
whatever  game  he  pleases,  and  seesaw  is  very  often 
that  game.  Further,  to  mention  a  practical  use  for 
seesaw,  when  two  children  balance  a  board  across  the 
sawhorse  or  through  the  fence,  they  are  experimenting 
with  a  primitive  lever,  and  when  experience  shows 
them  that,  to  maintain  an  equilibrium,  the  lighter 
weight  must  be  on  the  longer  arm,  they  are  preparing 
themselves  to  bring  the  light  of  understanding  to  the 
otherwise  cryptic  laboratory  formula  that  "the  power 
and  weight  are  to  each  other  inversely  as  their  respec- 
tive arms." 

There  is  another  class,  consisting  of  those  who  see 
in  child's  play  a  scientific  purposeful  effort  at  self- 
education,  every  movement  the  toddler  makes  being 
ticketed  with  a  reason  and  classified.  Even  as  intelli- 
gent a  writer  as  Montessori  reprobates  the  nurse  who, 
when  evening  comes,  takes  home  from  the  beach  the 
eighteen-months-old  child  in  spite  of  his  cries  and 
struggles  to  remain  in  order  to  continue  "educating 
himself"  by  digging  in  the  sand. 

All  writers,  except  the  hopelessly  old-fashioned  ones, 
now  explain  everything  connected  with  childhood's 
activities  in  terms  of  simian  ancestry.  It  is  natural, 
we  are  told,  for  children  to  enjoy  climbing  and  swing- 
ing, for  did  not  our  tree-dwelling  forefathers  progress 
through  the  forest  by  swinging  themselves  from  tree 
to  tree?  Children  naturally  like  to  play  in  the  sand, 
for  this  taste  harks  back  to  the  dim  age  in  which  the 
earth-born  amphibious  ancestors  of  our  chattering,  tail- 
swinging  ancestors  crawled  out  of  the  sea  and  found 


Play  133 

scx)thing  warmth  on  the  beach,  where  they  made  good 
their  footing  and  basked  and  sprawled  and  dug  their 
claws  into  the  sand,  all  the  while  feeling  grow  within 
their  hard-shelled  or  soft-shelled  bosoms  an  urge 
towards  the  higher  life,  a  tail-swinging  life,  if  you 
please,  among  the  tree-tops.  These  offensive  parallels 
are  continued  to  infinity,  or  at  least  to  the  anti-climax 
that  baby's  enjoyment  of  making  mud  pies  and  his 
digging  in  the  earth  are  manifestations  of  "a  special 
digging  instinct  acquired  in  long  centuries  of  an  ances- 
tral diet  of  worms." 

Frankly,  mothers,  are  you  not  weary  to  death  of 
such  impiety,  such  blind  and  insensate  folly?  Is  it 
necessary  to  accept  the  explanation  of  monkey  ancestry 
in  order  to  recognize  and  utilize  the  fact  that  children 
are  busy,  inquisitive  little  mortals,  naturally  active  in 
every  fiber  of  their  bodies  ?  May  not  your  baby  smile 
back  at  you  without  incurring  the  risk  of  having  a 
naturally  busy  animal  psychologist  appear  around  the 
corner  and  analyze  the  smile  as  a  mere  anthropoid 
instinct  to  imitate  the  movements  of  your  facial  mus- 
cles? Is  the  toddler  who  clings  to  your  fingers,  or 
climbs  the  stairs  or  investigates  the  button  box,  merely 
giving  expression  to  the  hand-swinging,  tree-climbing, 
general  ''monkeying"  tendencies  inherited  from  an 
ugly  ape?    Every  mother  knows  better. 

What  a  pity  that  so  much  intelligence  should  waste 
itself  picking  flaws  in  the  divine  harmony,  in  order  to 
prove  that  we  are  no  more  in  the  eternal  plan  than  the 
lizard  or  the  flea.  What  an  impulse  towards  human 
betterment  will  be  manifested  when  educators  rid  their 
minds  of  the  notion  of  children  as  Darwinian  speci- 
mens and,  through  clear-eyed,  sympathetic,  firsthand 


134     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

observation  and  reflection,  see  them  once  more  as  young 
human  beings,  sent  from  heaven  into  this  world  to  get 
their  schooling  for  eternity.  Let  us  look  for  human 
reasons  for  allowing  and  encouraging  children  to  play 
— we  shall  find  them  a-plenty. 

First,  which  would  be  all-sufficient,  even  if  no  other 
could  be  given,  play  is  an  absolute  necessity  to  health 
of  mind  and  body,  and  those  who  do  not  have  a  chance 
to  play  when  they  are  young  will  play  when  they  are 
old — to  their  destruction.  Play  leads  naturally  to  the 
serious  business  of  life.  It  is  the  duty  of  parents  to 
see  that  this  is  done,  but  not  to  substitute  work  for 
play  or  play  for  work.  Merely  because  the  hall  gives 
entrance  to  other  parts  of  the  house  does  not  justify 
the  use  of  the  hall  for  all  domestic  purposes.  Let  every- 
thing be  done  decently  and  in  order.  Play  develops 
the  body  much  more  systematically  than  can  any  regu- 
lar gymnastics.  The  best  recommendation  that  could 
be  made  for  any  system  of  bodily  exercises  is  that  it 
closely  imitates  the  spontaneous  play  of  childhood. 

To  the  mind  play  is  what  the  pendulum  is  to  the 
clock — it  keeps  the  works  from  going  too  swiftly. 
When  a  child's  mind  grows  faster  than  the  body  look 
out  for  trouble.  Mental  over-activity  consumes  the 
available  nerve- force,  and  if  once  the  little  mind  starts 
working  too  fast,  it  will  take  more  wisdom  and  under- 
standing than  most  people  possess  to  offset  the  habit. 
The  child  cannot  stop  of  its  own  accord,  and  broken 
nerves  and  disarranged  reason  may  follow.  The  pre- 
ventive as  well  as  the  cure  is  a  great  deal  of  occupation 
— which  means,  while  the  child  is  growing,  busy  fingers 
rather  than  too  busy  a  brain.  A  considerable  part  of 
each  day  should  be  spent  in  such  physical  occupation, 


Play  I3S 

with  the  child  safe  from  instruction  or  even  being 
talked  to.  Through  undirected  play  the  imagination 
is  stirred  and  developed.  ''Training  the  imagination" 
through  formal  lessons  is  a  tragic  waste  of  time  and 
effort,  for  both  the  image-making  and  the  impulse  to 
it  must  come  from  within. 

In  many  of  the  following  suggestions  for  play,  occu- 
pation, activity,  or  whatever  you  choose  to  call  the 
things  children  do  because  they  like  to  be  busy,  you 
may  find  only  partially  concealed  the  "practical  pur- 
pose" dear  to  our  materialistic  propagandists,  but  we 
hope  and  believe  that  many  others  of  them  are  entirely 
incapable  of  being  ticketed  as  of  actual  use.  As  a 
dreamer  has  remarked,  "Excellence  after  a  certain 
point  is  sure  to  go  a-limping,"  which  will  be  our  motto 
throughout  the  rest  of  the  chapter. 

Good  children  are  not  born,  but  made.  What  we 
call  badness  is  not  the  disease  but  the  symptom.  A 
good  physician  does  not  aim  at  removing  symptoms, 
but  goes  to  the  root  of  the  ailment  in  order  to  cure  and 
heal.  Experimenting  with  symptoms,  suppressing  or 
concealing  them,  shows  lack  of  understanding,  wisdom, 
and  sincerity.  In  child-management  as  in  forestry,  the 
best  remedy  for  crookedness  is  prevention,  and  play  is 
the  simplest  preventive  of  naughtiness  and  a  most 
important  prop  of  discipline,  for  lack  of  something  to 
do  causes  more  fretting  and  fussing,  more  discontent 
and  disobedience  than  does  anything  else. 

It  is  just  as  much  a  part  of  the  mother's  responsi- 
bility to  play  with  the  baby  and  provide  it  with  suitable 
playthings,  as  it  is  to  feed  and  clothe  it.  When  a  young 
child  is  troublesome  and  you  are  sure  that  neither 
stomach  nor  clothing  is  at  fault,  then  look  for  the 


136     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

trouble  in  lack  of  occupation,  too  few  or  too  many  toys, 
an  excess  of  variety,  people,  attention,  or  company. 
It  is  a  pity  that  children  should  ever  lack  amusement 
when  it  can  be  provided  with  so  little  cost  and  trouble. 
The  child  is  alert,  eager,  wanting  to  know  and  to  do, 
his  very  nature  demands  intense  busy-ness,  and  when 
no  outlet  is  provided  he  contrives  one,  whereupon  we 
call  him  mischievous  or  even  bad.  When  one  gives  the 
toddler  a  few  playthings  he  not  only  instantly  becomes 
''good,"  but  proceeds  to  instruct  himself  far  more 
effectively  than  could  a  trained  kindergartner. 

This  morning  I  called  at  a  friend's  house  and  found 
the  three-year-old  hugging  the  fire-shovel.  His  mother 
remarked :  ''When  Benny  can  have  that  kitchen  shovel 
to  dig  with,  he  is  a  good  boy  all  day  long." 

"What  does  his  little  brother  like?"  I  asked. 

"Oh,  just  give  him  any  kind  of  little  box  or  some 
spools  and  he  asks  for  nothing  more,"  she  replied. 

In  one  corner  of  my  school  room  a  little  girl  of 
four  attends  to  her  housekeeping.  She  scrubs  her 
tiny  blackboard,  bakes  sand-cakes,  and  looks  after  her 
dollies  without  annoyance  to  teacher  or  pupils.  Here 
I  must  digress  for  a  moment.  To  the  casual  observer 
Elizabeth  is  "the  world  forgetting,  by  the  world  for- 
got." Rarely  do  I  find  her  eyes  turned  on  me  or  on 
the  pupils,  but  when  she  goes  "home,"  which  is  down- 
stairs, she  proceeds  to  instruct  her  doll- family  or  her 
baby  brother  according  to  Miss  Lynch's  methods.  Her 
"Sit  properly!"  "Straighten  your  shoulders!"  "Put 
down  your  pencil!"  are  the  preliminary  to  yards  and 
yards  of  epic  poetry,  given  as  faultlessly  as  if  she  were 
twice  as  old.  As  I  have  said  before,  do  not  make  the 
mistake  of  imagining  that  because  the  four-year-old 


Play  137 

is  extremely  busy  she  is  not  paying  attention,  for  she 
is  always  doing  so. 

A  little  boy  plays  frequently  in  my  office  and  while 
I  am  writing  we  pretend  we  cannot  talk,  a  plan  which 
works  so  well  that  it  is  usually  I  who  breaks  the  silence. 
One  day,  when  he  had  constructed  from  bits  of  raffia 
a  menagerie  of  ferocious  beasts  and  caged  them  under 
the  chairs,  I  asked :  **Are  the  animals  enjoying  them- 
selves, Shipley?" 

"No,"  he  corrected  me,  "they  are  enjoying  each 
other." 

A  troublesome  form  of  baby  wickedness  arises  from 
the  fact  that  children  have  no  clear  perception  of  the 
difference  between  what  is  living  and  what  is  lifeless. 
The  child  will  pull  a  fly  to  pieces  with  the  same  uncon- 
cern that  he  will  pull  apart  a  flower.  During  the  first 
three  years,  give  him  only  such  playthings  as  he  may 
pull  apart  if  he  pleases.  Only  gradually,  during  the 
kindergarten  period,  can  you  teach  him  the  general 
difference  between  what  may  properly  be  investigated 
and  what  must  be  left  alone. 

Sand  is  perhaps  the  most  natural  plaything.  A  sand 
pile  or  sand  table  for  play  and  instruction  is  splendid 
for  children  of  all  ages,  furnishing  as  it  does  material 
for  building,  washing,  planting,  and  cooking,  while 
no  costly  apparatus  is  so  effective  in  teaching  and 
learning  something  about  measuring,  forming,  build- 
ing, etc.  Think  of  Archimedes,  who  angrily  shouted, 
"Do  not  disturb  my  circles!"  to  the  Roman  soldiers 
who  found  him  placidly  drawing  circles  in  the  sand 
when  they  sacked  the  city.  Put  the  baby  in  the  sand 
bin.  He  contents  himself  with  digging,  piling  the  sand 
Up,  pouring  it  on  his  head  by  handfuls.    A  few  months 


138     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

later  he  will  grind  the  dry  sand  through  your  old  flour 
sieve,  shovel  it  into  his  pail  with  iron  spoon  or  clam 
shell,  pour  it  through  the  funnel  into  a  bottle,  empty 
the  bottle  and  fill  it  again.  For  a  five-year-old  sprinkle 
the  sand  and  he  will  use  it  for  modeling,  building, 
bread-mixing.  A  year  or  so  later  he  will  draw  in  it 
and  outline  the  drawings  with  pebbles.  If  you  cannot 
get  the  pure  white  seashore  sand,  almost  any  plaster- 
ing sand  will  do. 

Encourage  play  with  toys  which  the  children  make 
themselves,  for  thus  they  become  inventive,  self-reliant, 
and  quickminded.  Building  a  "log"  house  of  sticks 
teaches  them  to  plan  a  more  pretentious  building,  to 
make  mental  images  before  the  actual  execution  of 
the  plan.  Home-made  playthings  answer  every  need, 
while  modern  complex  toys  stunt  the  imagination,  since 
they  leave  nothing  to  be  imagined  and  teach  the  child 
to  be  destructive  rather  than  constructive. 

The  baby  busies  himself  with  all  sorts  of  objects, 
turning  the  handle  of  a  coffee-mill,  shaking  a  rattle, 
pulling  out  drawers,  dabbling  and  splashing  in  water. 
It  pleases  him  merely  to  lay  one  stick  upon  another. 
Paper  to  rustle  and  tear,  a  ball  to  throw,  a  ball  on  a 
string,  something  to  open  and  shut,  like  a  box  or  a 
purse,  a  handful  of  buttons  or  dried  beans  in  a  box, 
even  a  flower,  a  leaf  or  a  stick,  will  hold  a  child's  atten- 
tion for  a  long  time.    Best  of  all  is  a  potato. 

Baby's  first  attempts  at  building  will  be  to  place  the 
dominoes  or  blocks  in  a  row  upon  the  floor,  his  next 
to  pile  them  up  in  a  tower.  A  two-year-old  will  amuse 
himself  by  the  hour  with  a  small  pail  of  water,  a  funnel, 
a  bottle  or  two,  and  a  cup,  and  will  seldom  spill  the 
water. 


Play  139 

Few  toys  furnish  a  greater  variety  of  entertainment 
than  a  dozen  old-fashioned  clothes-pins.  Baby  thrusts 
the  split  ends  together  and  pulls  them  apart,  piles  them 
up  for  a  house  and  by  and  by  learns  to  build  house, 
barn,  arbor,  pergola,  fence. 

Dear  to  a  baby's  heart  is  ''something  with  a  hole  in 
it."  It  may  be  paper,  pasteboard,  a  piece  of  cigar  box, 
but  the  hole  is  the  thing.  He  sticks  one  finger  through 
and  tries  to  pull  it  off  on  the  other  side.  If  he  ever  gets 
tired  of  this  give  him  bright  scraps  of  cloth  from  your 
piece-bag,  or  a  lock  and  key  to  play  with,  or  a  tiny 
solid  mirror  to  throw  the  sunlight  on  a  dark  surface. 

An  empty  shoe-box  fulfils  a  manifold  destiny.  With 
a  string  attached  it  may  be  drawn  about  the  room  as 
a  doll  carriage,  farm  wagon,  trolley  car,  and  dump  cart. 
Wagons,  cars  and  trains  of  cars  may  be  made  from 
empty  spool  boxes,  the  wheels  being  contrived  of 
wpoden  button  molds  fastened  on  with  largeheaded 
pins.  To  such  a  wagon  we  harness  a  burly  quadruped 
made  from  a  potato,  with  safety  matches  for  legs 
and  ears,  match-heads  or  pepper  corns  for  eyes,  and  a 
carven  grin. 

How  a  small  boy  loves  an  old  watch,  or  anything 
with  wheels !  He  likes  little  garden  tools,  and  a  broom- 
stick for  a  horse,  while  the  little  girl  likes  a  small  broom 
and  duster,  old  dishes  for  housekeeping,  old  clothes  to 
"dress  up"  in.  A  basin  of  water  in  which  to  float  chips 
or  sticks  or  walnut  shells,  each  loaded  with  suitable 
freight  or  passengers,  is  sometimes  in  order.  While 
we  work  in  the  kitchen,  a  small  piece  of  dough,  a  paper 
breadboard  and  a  toy  rolling  pin,  make  the  child  happy 
and  busy  turning  out  biscuits,  cookies,  bread,  and  pies. 
What  child  does  not  love  a  hammer  and  board  and  a 


140     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

few  tacks?  Better  than  a  board,  a  few  shingles  may 
be  given  him,  for  the  delight  of  tacking  the  thin  ends 
together — ^and  pulling  them  apart.  Teach  the  baby 
to  play  games  like  peek-a-boo,  hide-and-seek,  riding  a 
stick,  and  singing  or  saying  "Ride  a  gray  horse." 
Teach  him  to  string  shoe  buttons  or  kindergarten  beads 
on  shoestrings  to  make  chains  for  mother. 

The  child's  sweetest  play  is  imitation  of  the  parents' 
work,  for  the  things  he  sees  father  and  mother  do  every 
day  fascinate  and  instruct  him  beyond  measure.  His 
curiosity  is  aroused  at  seeing  something  being  done,  he 
wonders  if  he  could  do  it,  and  instinctively  he  goes 
through  the  motions.  Great  is  the  joy  at  the  accom- 
plishment when  he  succeeds.  It  is  very  easy  to  under- 
stand that  imitation  is  the  most  important  single  factor 
in  education.  While  observing  a  thing  being  done,  the 
child  is  really  doing  it  mentally,  and  when  he  sets  his 
hand  to  it,  he  learns  so  quickly,  from  having  seen  the 
same  thing  done  over  and  over,  that  it  almost  seems  as 
if  the  knowledge  were  born  in  him.  That  is  one  reason 
why  the  finest  workmen  in  the  world  are  in  those  coun- 
tries where  trades  are  handed  down  from  father  to  son. 
A  great  part  of  children's  play  being  imitation  of  work, 
we  should  at  an  early  stage  direct  play  towards  what 
is  good  and  useful  by  introducing  work,  both  to  sweeten 
play  and  to  lead  the  child  from  irresponsibility  to  a 
serious  idea  of  his  place  in  the  universe. 

A  child  should  not  play  too  much,  for  when  play  is 
pursued  to  the  point  of  exhaustion  we  have  a  naughty 
child  to  deal  with.  Even  the  child  of  two  should  be 
''helping  mother"  part  of  the  day,  no  matter  if  the  time 
and  trouble  it  costs  are  considerable.  After  all,  it  takes 
less  time  to  interest  a  child  in  what  you  are  doing  and 


Play  141 

keep  him  safely  busy  than  it  does  to  rush  about  in  the 
vain  effort  to  keep  an  idle- child  out  of  mischief.  More- 
over, he  will  play  with  greater  zest  in  the  afternoon  if 
he  has  been  "working"  in  the  morning,  the  toys  which 
he  has  not  seen  for  such  a  long,  long  time  seeming  a 
greater  treat. 

You  can  do  nothing  better  for  the  child  than  keep 
him  with  you  and  let  him  do  the  drippings  of  your 
work. 

Here  are  some  of  the  things  that  a  baby  of  two  is 
doing  each  day  to  help  his  mother:  Helps  make  the 
bed,  patting  the  pillows  and  carrying  them  to  the  chair 
to  air;  tries  to  smooth  the  sheets  and  tuck  in  the 
blankets;  uses  dry  mop,  picks  up  toys,  carries  shoes 
from  bathroom  to  closet,  etc. ;  when  mother  is  cooking 
he  sits  on  a  stool  near  by,  watching  her  movements  and 
stirring  the  mixtures  when  she  can  allow  it ;  when  she 
sweeps  she  lets  him  sweep  the  dirt  into  the  dustpan  and 
carry  it  to  the  stove  to  be  emptied ;  he  carries  cups  and 
his  own  cereal  to  the  table;  he  goes  with  his  father  to 
the  cellar  when  he  is  attending  the  furnace. 

A  boy  of  three  who  does  most  of  the  foregoing 
things  has  in  addition  the  following  tasks :  to  roll  the 
rugs,  lay  them  again  after  sweeping,  carry  in  the  kind- 
ling and  small  buckets  of  coal,  feed  the  dog,  help  feed 
and  water  the  chickens,  take  his  little  broom  and  help 
mother  sweep.  As  his  mother  says,  he  is  not  a  real 
help,  but  he  is  learning  to  help,  and  is  not  learning  to 
help  one  of  the  finest  things  in  life? 

A  child's  natural  playmates  are  his  parents.  To 
widen  the  circle  too  early  or  too  rapidly  is  hurtful. 
During  the  first  three  years  the  child  does  not  need 
companionship  other  than  the  parents  and  a  pet  or  a 


142     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

baby.  During  the  kindergarten  period,  or  until  seven, 
he  should  have  playmates  occasionally  but  not  all  the 
time.    One  playmate  at  a  time  is  better  than  several. 

Teach  the  child  to  amuse  himself  and  to  play  alone, 
which  will  later  be  of  inestimable  value  and  influence 
his  whole  future  in  many  ways  that  you  will  notice  as 
time  goes  on.  Quiet  is  very  important  for  young  chil- 
dren, and  without  it  they  get  excited,  cross,  too  tired 
to  be  refreshed  by  sleep.  Learning  to  play  alone  is 
a  conquest  over  self.  It  throws  one  upon  his  own  re- 
sources. It  is  unfair  to  a  child  to  have  someone  at  all 
times  ready  to  amuse  and  entertain  him.  When  he 
is  playing  happily  with  mud  or  sand,  or  sticks  or 
stones,  a  child  is  learning  more  than  any  direct  instruc- 
tion could  give.  The  busy  little  mind  is  growing,  grop- 
ing for  knowledge.  Wanting  to  know  seems  more 
worth  while  than  merely  knowing. 

If  you  begin  with  the  young  baby,  you  will  have  no 
trouble  in  training  him  to  play  alone,  but  even  a  young 
baby  given  unnecessary  attention  begins  to  feel  discon- 
tented unless  someone  is  constantly  with  him.  Make  a 
practice  of  leaving  him  alone  in  the  middle  of  the  bed, 
and  as  soon  as  he  is  able  to  crawl,  leave  him  on  a  quilt 
on  the  floor  to  kick  and  roll  and  crawl.  A  baby  pen, 
about  four  feet  square,  in  which  he  is  safe  to  tumble, 
or  play  with  toys,  or  learn  to  walk,  is  a  great  sedative. 
When  weather  permits  keep  this  pen  outdoors.  It 
should  be  high  enough  for  the  baby  to  stand  in,  with 
a  rug  in  the  bottom  so  that  he  cannot  pick  up  fallen 
leaves,  twigs,  etc.,  to  eat.  Throw  over  the  pen  a 
mosquito  netting  weighted  at  the  corners  with  snap 
clothespins  and  then  leave  baby  alone  with  his  play- 
things, so  far  at  attention  is  concerned.    A  chair-swing 


Play  143 

just  high  enough  so  that  baby  can  swing  himself  by 
kicking  the  ground  is  a  suitable  place  for  him  for 
shorter  periods  than  in  the  pen,  which  provides  more 
freedom  to  exercise.  Tie  a  few  playthings  to  the 
swing.  If  you  did  not  begin  early,  time  and  tact  and 
patience  and  fortitude  will  be  needed  to  break  the  habit 
of  depending  upon  others  for  entertainment. 

I  have  in  mind  a  child  of  two  who  had  become  so 
very  restive  and  dependent  upon  the  attention  of  others 
for  amusement  that  he  did  not  allow  the  nurse  to  leave 
him  for  even  five  minutes.  A  level-headed  nurse  was 
called  in  to  take  charge,  and  she  simply  made  the  baby 
stay  alone  in  an  open  porch,  safe  with  playthings,  for 
an  hour  or  so  daily.  Having  learned  after  a  few  days 
that  protests  were  unavailing,  he  took  his  medicine 
quietly. 

Make  up  your  mind  that  you  will  give  the  child  less 
help,  which  will  mean  for  you  a  gain  of  time  and 
temper.  To  occupy  him  and  make  him  entertain  him- 
self instead  of  having  somebody  continually  at  his  beck 
and  call,  you  must  give  him  regular  simple  lessons  in 
doing  things  that  he  can  continue  to  do  by  himself. 
Make  a  start  by  playing  with  him  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  then  leave  him  alone  to  continue  playing  the  same 
game. 

Your  difficulty  will  arise  from  his  refusing  to  con- 
tinue playing  unless  you  stay  with  him,  and  this  is 
where  you  must  use  your  authority.  Do  not  let  him 
make  you  a  slave  to  his  laziness  and  his  instinctive 
desire  for  domination,  but  after  you  have  shown  him 
how  to  do  something  such  as  I  shall  describe  and  make 
certain  that  he  can  do  it  make  him  do  it.  Be  prepared 
for  an  obstinate  struggle;  you  may  even  have  to  pun- 


144     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

ish  him,  but  he  must  learn  to  understand  that  whatever 
you  tell  him  to  do  must  be  done.  It  may  seem  unrea- 
sonable to  punish  a  child  for  not  playing  as  you  tell  him 
to  play,  but  he  knows  no  difference  between  frivolous 
toying  and  healthful  playing,  the  necessary  and  the 
unnecessary,  and  you  must  think  for  him  now.  The 
child  who  learns  to  play  by  himself  will  learn  to  work 
by  himself.  The  higher  we  rise,  the  more  we  segregate 
ourselves  in  our  work,  gregarious  working  being  rem- 
iniscent of  slave-driving.  Then  find  time  each  day, 
fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  at  first,  during  which  the 
child  can  be  left  with  his  playthings  in  a  sunny  room 
or  on  a  porch,  safe  but  quite  alone.  Leave  him  reso- 
lutely in  that  salutary  seclusion,  and  do  not  allow  him 
to  disturb  you  during  that  period.  If  at  first  ten- 
minute  periods  seem  more  reasonable,  try  these,  length- 
ening them  a  few  minutes  daily  until  he  has  an  hour 
in  which  he  must  work  out  his  own  amusement. 

Here  is  something  that  a  child  of  two  or  older  can 
be  made  to  do  alone :  Give  him  a  pail  of  apples  to  be 
placed,  one  at  a  time,  or  two  at  a  time,  into  another 
receptacle.  A  child  of  three  can  be  made  to  put  aside 
all  that  begin  to  be  spotty  or  bruised.  This  is  only  a 
suggestion  that  may  help  you  to  think  of  things  that 
will  keep  him  busy  for  some  time,  yet  are  neither  too 
difficult  nor  too  tedious.  You  can  teach  him  in  this 
way  the  good  old  nursery  rhyme :  ''The  animals  went 
in  one  by  one." 

Here  is  a  more  difficult  lesson :  Take  sticks  of  any 
length  and  show  or  suggest  how  to  make  a  log  cabin 
by  placing  them  criss-cross.  This  house  of  fancy  will 
be  a  delight,  especially  when  he  finds  a  use  for  it,  as 
a  pigsty,  henhouse,  doHhouse,  stable,  etc.,  but  he  will 


Play  145 

be  interested  in  making  it  only  if  it  is  to  represent 
something  familiar  to  him.  Put  an  animal  in,  per- 
haps a  potato  with  toothpicks  for  limbs  and  shoe  but- 
tons for  eyes,  and  see  to  it  that  he  cannot  get  out. 

There  is  no  gain  in  breaking  up  one  kind  of  activity 
for  another  without  good  reason,  and  if  the  child  is 
interested  and  keeps  on  with  this  play,  do  not  interrupt 
it  unnecessarily,  for  some  other.  Attention  to  regular 
physical  habits,  such  as  nap  or  lunch,  should  be  the 
only  excuse  for  interruption.  This  play  constitutes  an 
unconscious  lesson  in  observation,  form,  measure, 
manual  training,  etc. — everything  good  for  a  young 
child. 

From  the  age  of  three  onward,  a  child  needs  a  play- 
mate for  part  of  the  time,  for  without  such  give  and 
take,  without  being  himself  a  buffer  and  having  some- 
one for  a  buffer,  there  can  be  no  coming  out  of  his 
own  shell.  It  is  not  possible  for  the  most  devoted 
mother  to  be  both  mother  and  playmate  in  full,  nor 
is  it  either  desirable  or  feasible  for  her  to  enter  wholly 
into  the  necessary  give  and  take.  It  is  possible  for 
her  to  be  too  much  with  the  child,  and  this  is  where  a 
playmate  relieves  the  situation.  In  this  respect  a  play- 
nurse  is  sometimes  advisable  for  an  only  child,  not  so 
much  because  she  is  a  good  disciplinarian  or  teacher 
as  because  the  child  can  have  with  her  some  leeway 
that  would  be  out  of  place  with  the  mother,  for  such 
freedom  would  give  the  child  a  chance  to  be  naughty 
and  the  mother  an  occasion  to  correct  him.  A  child 
who  has  never  had  the  opportunity  to  be  naughty  will 
never  be  good,  for  virtue  springs  from  resistance 
to  vice. 

Do  not  be  particular  about  htmting  up  a  child  of 


146     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

your  own  social  circle  as  a  playmate.  Any  nice  clean 
boy  or  girl  will  do,  so  long  as  there  is  no  moral  or 
physical  contamination.  Bring  the  child  to  your  house 
and  turn  him  loose  with  your  child's  playthings,  allow- 
ing play  at  the  right  time,  for  the  proper  length  of  time, 
under  careful  supervision,  which,  however,  must  not 
be  noticeable.  There  should  be  as  little  apparent  inter- 
ference as  possible. 

Do  not  let  them  play  too  long  at  a  time,  else  they 
will  get  tired  and  certainly  make  trouble.  At  the  first 
symptom  of  discord,  separate  the  children,  no  matter 
whose  the  fault,  for  it  is  possible  to  be  entirely  too 
judicial  in  settling  children's  difficulties  and  after  the 
trouble  has  started  it  is  hard  to  decide  who  has  been 
in  the  wrong.  Besides,  the  children  are  laughing  inside 
themselves  at  your  particularities  in  this  respect,  know- 
ing instinctively  that  it  was  a  mere  chance  as  to  who 
was  the  guilty  party  at  that  moment.  The  natural 
consequence  to  quarreling  is  to  be  separated,  and  will 
impress  the  children  as  just  and  fair.  No  child  is 
too  young  to  learn  that  he  must  either  control  him- 
self or  suffer  deprivations.  If  a  child's  idea  of  play- 
ing is  always  to  take  the  part  that  he  particularly  likes, 
he  should  learn  to  "take  turns."  Let  him  learn  to  fit 
in,  to  adapt  himself,  to  take  his  place  among  others, 
to  give  and  take. 

Avoid  insidious  moral  dangers.  Do  not  allow  chil- 
dren to  play  together  unwatched,  be  within  sight  and 
hearing  and  watch  them  without  seeming  to  do  so, 
but  at  the  same  time  they  must  not  be  complacently 
trusted  to  their  own  cunning  devices.  Head  off  evil 
before  it  comes  anywhere  near  your  children.  I  do 
not  mean  to  prevent  their  being  exposed  to  minor  temp- 


Play  147 

tations  and  their  getting  into  mischief  and  trouble, 
but  I  repeat  that,  if  they  are  ever  to  become  strong  in 
character,  they  must  have  reasonable  and  sufficient 
leeway  to  do  this  and  take  the  consequences.  This, 
however,  does  not  mean  allowing  them  to  run  together, 
unwisely  trusting  to  their  innate  goodness,  for  bad 
example  appeals  to  a  little  child  much  more  than  good. 
When  he  is  older,  when  wise  discipline  has  checked 
the  animal  instincts  and  imbued  him  with  the  love  of 
what  is  beautiful  and  right,  then  indeed  the  parents 
can  send  him  out  fearlessly  to  face  the  world  alone  and 
bad  example  will  then  only  serve  as  a  deterrent  and  a 
prevention. 

Keep  children  outdoors  as  much  as  is  reasonable  and 
train  them  to  use  their  muscles  and  all  their  limbs. 
Children  should  not  be  shielded  altogether  from  the 
rougher  side  of  life,  but  should  get  some  of  its  hard- 
ness, especially  in  their  outdoor  play.  Little  girls  need 
opportunity  for  the  same  kind  of  physical  development 
and  activity  that  boys  need,  at  least  during  the  first 
seven  years.  Dress  boys  and  girls  in  such  a  way  that 
they  need  not  think  about  their  clothing,  whether  in 
climbing  trees  or  turning  somersaults. 

The  man  of  the  house  should  think  up  simple 
schemes  for  helping  children  to  be  active,  robust, 
supple,  self-reliant,  without  incurring  avoidable  danger. 
He  should  teach  them  to  guard  against  breaking  their 
necks.  Here  is  some  of  the  simple  apparatus  he  can 
rig  up  at  almost  no  cost :  A  single  rope  hanging  down, 
with  a  knot  on  the  lower  end,  which  children  can  seize 
and  swing  by;  a  ''trolley,"  consisting  of  a  single  stout 
rope  fastened  like  a  clothes-line,  by  which  the  child  can 
swing  himself  along,  hand  over  hand,  or  by  springing 


148     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

can  cling  to  and  swing  back  and  forth,  which,  you 
know,  is  a  heavenly  sensation,  almost  like  flying;  a 
long  horizontal  bar  just  high  enough  so  that  he  can 
catch  it  by  springing  and  walk  along  it  hand  over  hand ; 
a  bar  at  the  proper  height  for  practice  in  * 'chinning" 
himself;  a  securely  set  horizontal  ladder  for  children 
of  five  or  older  to  **walk"  across  on  their  hands.  All 
these  reaching  and  hand-swinging  exercises  are  good; 
not  that  children  will  really  be  able  to  do  them  at 
first,  but  they  should  constantly  be  attempting  such 
safe  exercises. 

Set  up  a  narrow  plank  horizontally  a  little  above  the 
ground  for  practice  in  steady  walking.  A  beam  4x4, 
supported  about  eight  or  ten  inches  above  the  ground, 
answers  the  same  purpose.  If  you  can  procure  a  round 
spar  about  three  inches  thick  and  twelve  to  fifteen  feet 
long,  set  it  up  horizontally  about  six  inches  above  the 
ground,  which  should  be  sandy  if  possible.  Let  the 
children  walk  along  from  end  to  end,  balancing  them- 
selves; then  let  them  run  along  it.  Let  two  boys  each 
armed  with  a  bag  stuffed  with  rags,  walk  towards 
one  another  and  try  to  knock  one  another  off  the  spar 
with  the  bags.  This  is  good  sport,  very  amusing  to 
children,  and  no  harm  can  come  of  it  unless  it  deterio- 
rates into  horse-play.  Such  a  spar  can  also  be  fitted  up 
vertically,  planted  securely  in  the  ground  and  fastened 
at  the  upper  end  to  a  stout  branch  of  a  high  tree.  Let 
the  boys  learn  to  climb  it.  Children  get  fun  out  of  any 
kind  of  slide,  the  simplest  being  a  smooth  waxed  board, 
down  which  they  can  slip.  There  is  nothing  that  chil- 
dren like  better  than  a  rope  swing  with  a  board  seat; 
to  them  it  is  not  merely  hempen  rope  but  wings  that 
take  them  away  from  earth. 


Play  149 

"To  sail  beyond  the  sunset,  and  the  paths 
Of  all  the  western  stars." 

If  you  can  possibly  manage  it,  turn  a  room  into  a 
playroom  for  the  children,  especially  during  the  winter. 
It  will  relieve  you  greatly  and  give  them  a  chance  to 
make  mistakes,  to  take  the  consequences,  and  to  learn 
many  things  that  only  experience  can  teach.  Such  a 
room  should  be  sunny,  well-lighted,  not  over-heated, 
well-ventilated,  and  not  obstructed  by  unnecessary  fur- 
niture. The  furniture,  consisting  of  a  table,  chairs, 
rack  for  books  and  toys,  and  box  for  blocks,  should 
be  plain,  solid,  and  wuth  wide  bases  so  that  it  cannot 
easily  topple  over.  The  floor  should  be  either  bare  or 
covered  with  strong  linoleum;  there  should  be  no  rugs 
or  carpets.  Windows  should  be  barred  so  that  a  child 
cannot  fall  out.  The  lights,  if  gas  or  oil  lamps,  should 
be  so  high  that  a  child  cannot  touch  them.  The  door 
should  have  a  small  window  or  peep-hole  through 
which  the  children  can  easily  be  observed  without 
their  noticing  it.  In  such  a  room  they  will  be  as  safe 
as  you  can  reasonably  wish  them  to  be.  The  pictures 
for  the  walls  should  be  flat  chromos  of  dogs,  cats, 
children,  etc.,  rather  than  finer  pictures  that  as  yet  are 
meaningless  to  the  children.  Mother  Goose  pictures 
make  a  delightful  border.  Choose  large  rather  than 
small  pictures,  and  hang  them  on  a  level  with  the  child's 
eye.  For  curtains,  box-covers,  and  so  on,  get  cre- 
tonne with  Mother  Goose  pictures  on  it,  for  samples 
of  which  you  can  write  to  some  large  department  store. 
Decorate  the  rooms  with  crepe  paper  at  Christmas, 
Hallowe'en,  etc. 

Wherever  and  at  whatever  they  play,  make  the  chil- 


150     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-M other 

dren  put  away  their  playthings  in  the  proper  places 
when  through  with  them.  Make  them  feel  as  early  as 
possible  that  they  are  responsible  for  their  own  things, 
and  never  let  them  assume  that  someone  will  do  their 
picking  up  for  them.  They  will  grow  helpful,  and  per- 
haps they  will  infer  that  they  are  also  responsible  for 
their  brother's  things. 

When  the  little  girl  is  attending  to  her  housekeeping, 
her  patience  is  often  sorely  tried  by  the  baby,  who 
wants  to  help  but  whose  unsteady  little  legs  make  him 
upset  stove,  dining- table,  and  even  sister.  It  is  very 
hard  to  make  Baby  understand  that  he  must  not  meddle 
with  sister's  things,  but  do  not  get  discouraged  if  you 
do  not  succeed.  Tell  sister  that  Baby  is  partly  her 
baby  and  that  she  must  not  mind  such  funny  accidents. 
Show  her  by  example  how  patient  you  are  when  your 
plans  get  upset.  If  Baby  pulls  off  her  tablecloth,  tell 
her  that  doilies  are  considered  more  suitable  now  than 
the  cloth  and  that  they  can  be  cut  out  of  paper.  Large 
leaves  will  provide  fine  doilies  and  also  plates. 

Or  sister  might  set  a  table  specially  for  Baby,  so 
that  the  game  will  be  equally  interesting  to  both  chil- 
dren, or  she  could  set  one  for  you,  and  you  could  let 
the  baby  have  it.  Teach  sister  that  she  must  suppress 
little  fits  of  naughty  temper  when  an  accident  happens 
to  her  playthings.  She  must  learn  that  Baby  needs 
more  attention  than  she  does,  and  she  will  then  begin 
to  realize  what  you  did  for  her,  be  all  the  more  ready 
to  show  some  kind  of  indulgence  to  the  younger  ones, 
and  be  kind  and  forbearing  to  everybody. 

A  little  girl  of  four  and  older  should  have  her  own 
home-made  playhouse.  Unless  you  have  a  better  plan, 
give  her  a  wooden  packing  box  with  horizontal  parti- 


Play  151 

tion,  so  that  she  can  have  an  upstairs  and  a  downstairs, 
and  let  her  furnish  it  herself.  With  just  a  little  dis- 
creet help  she  can  make  furniture  out  of  pasteboard, 
small  boxes  can  be  utilized  for  cupboards  and  closets, 
little  hooks  can  be  screwed  in  for  dolls'  clothing.  She 
can  put  in  tiny  windows,  paper  the  walls,  and  hang 
up  little  pictures.  Do  not  buy  any  furniture  for  the 
playhouse,  certainly  no  expensive  furniture.  Avoid 
sowing  the  seeds  of  arrogance  by  the  purchase  of  any- 
thing costly,  anything  that  smacks  of  showy  preten- 
tiousness. 

For  a  child  of  six,  a  set  of  doll's  dishes,  a  kitchen 
stove,  tin  cooking  utensils  and  accessories,  will  be  a 
joy.  Do  not  give  her  many  of  these  things  at  once,  but 
after  she  gets  the  stove,  let  her  know  what  it  is  to  wait 
and  wish  for  the  rest  of  the  kitchen  furnishings.  That 
is  a  taste  of  real  life  and  adds  to  the  joy  of  receiving. 
Teach  her  to  "manage"  without  things,  thus  when  she 
gets  the  china  set,  she  should  manage  for  a  time  with- 
out the  teaspoons.  I  do  not  mean  to  tantalize  the  child 
by  withholding  these  things,  but  simply  not  to  have 
the  things  for  her  the  moment  she  would  like  to  have 
them.  No  poor  child  of  my  acquaintance  has  ever 
impressed  me  as  so  hopelessly  the  embodiment  of 
misery  as  a  little  friend  of  mine  whose  wealthy  parents 
make  it  their  first  care  to  see  that  she  never  has  to 
wait  for  anything  she  desires,  still  less  go  without  it. 

Not  all  young  children  care  for  a  doll,  but  they 
should  learn  to  do  so,  which,  likewise,  is  a  matter  of 
imitation,  not  of  instinct.  Unless  the  little  girl  sees 
a  baby  being  loved  and  petted,  she  will  not  love  and 
pet  her  doll.  When  cradles  went  out  of  fashion  for 
babies,  they  went  out  of  fashion  for  dolls  as  well, 


152     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-M other 

for  the  little  girl  will  not  rock  her  doll  in  the  loveliest 
doll-cradle  unless  baby  is  rocked  in  a  cradle.  Teach 
the  child  to  dress  a  doll,  be  it  done  ever  so  crudely. 
Never  look  for  fine  work  in  a  young  child.  Odds  and 
ends  of  muslin,  silk,  a  scrap  of  fur  for  a  stole  or 
muff,  give  fine  occupations  for  rainy  days.  If  she 
has  a  big  doll  now,  give  her  a  little  doll  next  time. 
The  home-made  doll  is  always  the  favorite.  A  hand- 
kerchief knotted  or  a  piece  of  gay  cloth  tied  around  a 
clothespin  makes  a  fine  baby — the  simpler  the  better. 

If  circumstances  permit,  by  all  means  let  the  child 
have  a  pet,  whether  dog,  cat,  calf,  or  bird.  He  should 
feed  it,  of  course,  with  the  necessary  directions  and 
help.  Maybe  you  can  recall  the  joy  you  felt  in  first 
holding  the  pail  for  a  nice  little  calf  to  drink  the  warm, 
sweet,  odorous  milk.  If  you  can  find  a  good-tempered 
puppy  to  grow  up  with  the  child,  it  would  develop  and 
strengthen  a  side  of  character  that  needs  a  prop. 
Whether  any  caged  pet  supplies  such  a  want,  I  am  not 
prepared  to  say,  there  are  so  many  pros  and  cons.  On 
no  account  should  the  child  be  allowed  to  neglect  the 
pet.  Make  him  realize  the  responsibility  for  it,  since 
it  belongs  to  him.  Such  a  feeling  will  soon  become 
habitual  and  will  be  extended  to  other  things  and  be- 
come a  part  of  him,  so  that  he  will  feel  discontented 
and  unhappy  if  he  does  not  live  up  to  it. 

Mothers  sometimes  say:  "If  I  had  known  what  a 
help  a  blackboard  is  in  keeping  children  good  and 
happy,  I  would  have  had  one  long  ago."  Buy  a  strip 
of  slated  cloth  three  or  four  feet  wide  and  from  one 
to  three  yards  long,  according  to  your  w'all-space. 
Glue  or  paste  it  on  a  convenient  wall — kitchen,  nursery, 
playroom — ^at  the  right  height  for  the  children.     You 


Play  153 

have  procured  a  good,  inexpensive,  and  long-wearing 
device  for  drawing  and  writing.  Buy  a  quantity  of 
dustless  blackboard  chalk  and  a  dustless  eraser.  You 
can  get  a  small  quantity  of  colored  crayons  for  special 
occasions.  Get  a  piece  of  well-planed  lath  two  or  two 
and  a  half  feet  long  for  a  ruler,  or  use  a  yardstick. 
Make  yourself  a  pair  of  compasses  of  a  piece  of  string 
with  a  loop  to  hold  the  chalk  at  one  end  and  a  nail  for 
the  center  of  the  circles  at  the  other  end,  and  there  is 
the  whole  outfit.  The  blackboard  is  far  better  for 
children  than  paper  and  pencil.  They  should  write  and 
draw  large,  swinging  the  arm  freely.  There  is  no 
danger  of  overstraining  the  mind  or  injuring  the  eye- 
sight by  blackboard  practice  in  writing  and  drawing, 
and  besides,  the  large,  free  swing  of  the  arm  is  held 
to  stimulate  mental  growth,  as  the  mind  follows  the 
hand  in  widening  circles. 

Modeling-wax  can  be  made  at  home  at  little  cost. 
Take  a  cup  of  flour,  a  cup  of  salt,  and  a  teaspoon ful 
of  powdered  alum,  add  bluing  water  and  work  it  to  the 
right  consistency  for  molding.  From  this  the  child 
can  model  mice  and  rats,  cheese  and  traps.  It  can  be 
kept  a  long  time  by  wrapping  in  a  damp  cloth  and 
keeping  in  a  cool  place,  adding  a  little  water  each  time 
it  is  used.  Plasticene  is  also  very  satisfactory  for 
modeling.  Here  is  sufficient  instruction  for  the  child: 
Look  at  the  dog  and  make  one  of  wax  like  him.  Count 
his  legs  and  make  the  same  number  of  legs  with  tooth- 
picks. 

I  do  not  approve  of  kindergarten  sewing  cards  be- 
cause of  the  eye-strain  involved  in  their  use.  The 
younger  the  child  the  greater  the  harm  that  results 
from  the  muscular  jerks  of  the  eye,  which  has  not 


154     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

reached  complete  development.  Such  work  has  not 
sufficient  value  to  offset  its  risk. 

The  girl  should  have  a  playhouse,  the  boy  a  box 
or  drawer  for  his  own  treasures,  and  each  wall-space 
for  pinning  their  pictures — by  the  way,  the  kind  they 
like,  not  the  kind  you  like. 

From  the  age  of  three  to  seven  is  the  age  of  make- 
believe.  That  is  when  things  come  alive,  when  chil- 
dren like  what  is  alive  or  what  they  can  pretend  is 
alive  or  what  behaves  like  something  alive.  Kites  that 
fly,  tops  that  spin,  hoops  that  roll,  are  the  daily  bread 
at  that  age.  Then  a  little  boy  puts  his  hands  over  his 
eyes  and  says,  "Now  you  can't  see  me."  He  runs  down 
the  garden  path  at  dusk  and  notices  with  wonder  and 
awe  that  the  big  round  moon  is  keeping  up  with  him, 
smiling  at  him,  as  much  as  to  say:  "Little  boy,  did 
you  think  you  could  run  away  from  me?"  And  when, 
overcome  with  the  greatness  of  his  discovery,  he  wheels 
about  and  runs  to  mother,  a  glance  across  his  shoulder 
shows  him  that  the  moon  has  turned  around  and  come 
back  to  her,  too. 

Just  keep  in  mind  a  few  things  like  this  when  deal- 
ing with  young  children,  how  big  and  new  and  wonder- 
ful the  world  is  to  them,  how  big  you  are  and  how 
little  they  are,  what  a  long  hard  road  lies  ahead  of 
them,  rough  at  the  very  best.  This  will  help  you  to  be 
gentle  with  them,  gentle  and  fair,  kind  and  firm  and 
just.  And  if  you  would  be  fair  and  just,  do  not 
destroy  their  world  of  make-believe,  but  if  they  tell 
you  that  a  fairy  has  built  a  castle  in  the  front  path 
over  night,  walk  around  it,  even  though  it  looks  to 
you  like  nothing  in  the  world  but  an  ant-hillock. 
Although  you  may  be  unable  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of 


Play  155 

their  play,  you  can  at  least  be  silent  and  smile  or 
look  serious  as  the  case  demands,  and  refrain  from 
always  and  ever  labeling  their  mighty  discoveries  as 
"nothing  buts." 

The  kitchen,  woodshed,  and  attic,  with  such  things 
as  used  to  be  found  in  these  places,  make  the  most 
wonderful  workrooms  for  children.  If  you  have  no 
such  rooms,  do  the  best  you  can  to  approximate  them 
and  their  contents.  There  should  be  a  big  wooden 
box  for  blocks  and  other  heavy  building  material; 
the  blocks  should  be  large  rather  than  small,  the  size 
and  shape  of  ordinary  bricks,  and  the  box  should  also 
contain  longer  pieces,  sections  of  two-by-fours,  any 
rectangular  and  cylindrical  chunks  of  wood,  bits  of 
boards,  shingles,  and  bricks.  The  boy  will  like  these 
things  as  soon  as  he  can  handle  them,  which  may  be 
sooner  than  you  think.  Other  essentials  to  the  build- 
ing trade  are  broken  furniture,  nails,  screws,  hammer, 
tacks,  glue,  clay,  paint,  sand-paper,  staples,  wheels  (of 
typewriter  ribbons  and  others),  wire  hairpins,  paste- 
board boxes,  button  molds,  large  and  small,  a  box  of 
buttons,  spools,  etc.  Dominoes  have  many  advantages 
when  it  comes  to  making  walks,  fences,  barns,  trains, 
and  freight.  A  boy  will  invent  a  hundred  uses  for  a 
rope,  a  coil  of  wire,  or  wire  screening.  Of  course  he 
must  have  a  bow  and  arrow,  a  ball  and  bat. 

A  little  forethought  for  the  time  when  children 
must  be  in  the  house  and  under  one's  feet  will  save 
trouble.  Blunt-ended  scissors,  costing  a  few  cents, 
and  odds  and  ends  of  wallpaper,  are  a  safe  combina- 
tion. Children  can  cut  up  souvenir  postcards  into 
odd-shaped  pieces  to  be  put  together  again  as  puzzle 
pictures.    Still  better  than  postcards  are  large  magazine 


156     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

pictures,  especially  colored  ones.  There  is  no  need  to 
pay  a  dollar  for  picture-puzzles  when  you  and  the  chil- 
dren can  make  them.  Paste  the  colored  pictures  on 
cardboard  and  cut  out  irregularly,  and  when  the  chil- 
dren have  finished  with  them  make  them  put  them 
into  an  envelope  and  lay  them  away  for  another  day. 

Let  them  cut  the  white  margins  from  newspapers 
into  strips  of  the  same  width  and  about  five  inches  long, 
and  with  flour  paste,  paste  evenly  together  the  ends 
of  the  first  strip,  through  this  loop  pass  another  strip 
and  paste  the  ends  as  before,  making  the  second  link. 
Continue  in  this  way.  Strips  of  colored  paper,  such 
as  wrapping  paper,  may  alternate  with  white,  or  col- 
ored magazine  covers  cut  in  strips  three  inches  by  one 
inch  make  a  beautiful  chain.  Cutting  out  pictures, 
cutting  pieces  of  paper  into  any  definite  form  in  the 
way  the  child  pleases,  and  similar  occupations,  are 
excellent  and  should  not  be  interfered  with  unneces- 
sarily as  long  as  he  is  busily  at  work. 

A  child  of  four  will  enjoy  furnishing  a  kitchen  when 
she  has  on  hand  the  scissors,  paste,  and  pictures.  A 
pasteboard  box,  with  holes  cut  for  windows,  and  walls 
decorated  appropriately  or  inappropriately,  with  cut- 
out designs  or  pictures,  will  be  satisfying.  Let  her 
make  from  other  boxes  other  rooms,  such  as  bathroom, 
bedroom,  etc.  At  least  a  week's  work  is  suggested  in 
this  paragraph.  The  rooms  when  finished  may  stand 
side  by  side  or  one  above  the  other.  A  circus  cage  can 
be  made  by  pasting  strips  of  paper  horizontally  across 
the  open  face  of  a  pasteboard  box  of  any  size  or  shape. 

Children  from  four  to  six  like  to  play  store,  pro- 
viding their  own  stock  by  cutting  illustrations  out  of 
an  old  mail-order  catalogue  and  pasting  them  on  card- 


Play  157 

board.  They  thus  get  a  permanent  supply  of  goods,  to 
which  they  can  add  from  time  to  time.  Let  them  cut 
paper  money,  and  hunt  up  a  supply  of  wrapping 
paper,  paper  bags,  and  string. 

To  make  a  scrapbook,  cut  several  pieces  of  old  mus- 
lin or  cambric  into  square  of  the  same  size.  In  this, 
if  you  live  on  a  farm,  let  the  children  paste  pictures  of 
a  model  farm.  On  the  first  page  is  the  house,  etc., 
including  children  and  parents,  on  the  next  page  the 
barn,  farm-yard  and  livestock;  farther  on  is  a  kitchen 
interior,  with  utensils  and  furniture;  bedroom;  bath- 
room. This  can  be  extended  and  amplified  by  filling 
it  with  suitable  pictures  cut  from  our  indispensable 
catalogue.  If  you  do  not  live  on  a  farm,  the  child  will 
not  care  for  this,  but  he  should  instead  make  scrap- 
books  of  animals,  birds,  flowers,  trees,  children.  For 
paste  use  flour  and  cold  water,  which  a  few  drops  of 
clove-oil  will  keep  from  souring. 

For  children  not  quite  old  enough  to  cut  and  paste, 
there  is  your  scrapbag.  Pieces  of  bright  cloth  please 
a  baby.  Let  her  sort  the  scraps.  Then  there  are  pencil 
and  paper ;  a  tiny  mirror  to  throw  the  sunlight  about ; 
a  glass  prism  to  make  rainbows ;  a  wet  string  to  lay  in 
geometric  shapes. 

Provide  the  children  with  a  top  by  fitting  a  stick 
tightly  into  a  spool  and  whittling  spool  and  stick  down 
to  a  pointed  end  on  which  it  will  spin.  Show  them 
how  to  make  it  spin  and  teach  them  to  spin  a  tin  plate. 

Let  the  little  girl  teach  her  doll-baby  to  walk,  show- 
ing her  how  to  move  one  foot  in  front  of  the  other, 
as  if  it  were  a  baby.  When  she  gets  the  idea,  tell  her 
to  make  it  walk  around  the  rug  twice ;  not  to  let  it  trip 
and  fall ;  not  to  make  it  walk  too  fast,  etc.    This  culti- 


158     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

vates  her  imagination  in  a  natural,  healthful  way. 
When  she  tires  of  the  game  she  will  probably  tell  you 
that  the  baby  is  tired. 

Take  a  cake  pan  with  a  tube,  place  it  on  the  floor, 
give  the  children  rubber  rings  from  fruit  jars,  have 
them  stand  at  a  given  distance  from  the  pan  and  try 
to  throw  the  ring  over  the  tube. 

Blowing  soap  bubbles  is  a  good,  safe  game,  espe- 
cially if  the  children  sit  in  the  sunshine,  letting  the 
outdoors  soak  in,  blowing  bubbles,  big  and  little,  and 
watching  them  go  sailing.  There  is  no  need  to  buy  a 
bubble-set  when  a  new  clay  pipe  will  do. 

Give  the  child  the  button  box,  make  him  sit  in  a 
high  chair  or  other  secure  place  and  string  the  buttons 
with  a  large  needle,  big  ones  on  one  string;  small  ones 
on  another;  black  on  one  string;  white  on  another; 
large  white  ones ;  large  black  ones ;  alternate  black  and 
white.  When  he  can  understand  the  number  differ- 
ences, make  him  string  the  two-holed  buttons  on  one 
string  and  the  four-holed  on  another. 

Let  the  child  sit  at  the  table  and  mark  around  objects 
with  a  pencil  on  paper.  To  mark  around  an  ink-well, 
inverted  cup  or  saucer,  glass,  box,  child's  hand,  and 
other  objects  yields  endless  pleasure  in  anticipating 
what  the  result  will  look  like.  Let  him  cut  out  these 
self-made  tracings.  Such  a  period  of  productive 
occupation  is  worth  more  than  one  of  oral  instruction, 
for  during  it  the  child  is  quiet,  composed,  entertaining 
himself,  teaching  himself.  The  fewer  words  the 
teacher  needs  to  use,  the  more  the  pupil  will  learn. 

However,  drawing  very  small  objects  is  not  the 
best  employment.  Avoid  exercises  that  are  cramping 
to  the  fingers  as  tending  to  cramp  the  mind.     Give 


Play  159 

the  child  models  as  large  as  are  usable,  a  dinner  plate 
rather  than  a  penny.  As  has  been  said,  the  blackboard 
is  preferable  to  paper,  yet  there  are  times  when  circum- 
stances make  it  necessary  that  the  child  employ  himself 
at  a  table  instead  of  at  the  blackboard. 

Just  before  bedtime,  shadow  pictures  are  great  fun. 
It  is  said  that  shadows  led  to  the  art  of  drawing.  Such 
simple  tales  as  the  Fox  and  the  Grapes  can  easily  be 
illustrated  on  the  wall,  but  if  you  do  not  know  how, 
ask  some  old-fashioned  friend  to  show  you. 

Did  you  ever  see  boys  competing  as  to  who  could 
throw  his  cap  on  a  boy's  head  or  on  a  peg?  Throwing 
appeals  to  boys.  Set  up  a  board  with  a  six-inch  hole 
in  it  and  let  them  try  to  throw  a  ball  through  this.  Such 
games  force  children  to  measure  with  their  eyes. 

There  are  endless  variations  of  the  building  game. 
For  material  save  up  your  paper  boxes,  cereal  boxes, 
etc.  Begin  by  placing  a  good-sized  box  for  your  house 
in  the  center  of  the  floor  and  making  it  correspond  to 
the  layout  of  your  house.  Have  the  children  designate 
front  door,  back  door,  east,  and  west.  Other  boxes 
will  do  for  barn,  woodshed,  hen-house,  and  dog-house. 
Do  not  introduce  buildings  or  other  features  alien  to 
the  child's  experience,  but  seek  only  to  have  him 
express  in  a  simple  way  what  is  already  in  his  mind, 
thus  sharpening  and  outlining  what  have  hitherto  been 
vague,  more  or  less  blurred,  impressions. 

See  how  much  ingenuity  you  can  get  the  children 
to  use,  always  leading  them  to  plan  and  make,  to  adapt 
as  well  as  adopt,  to  make  something  else  answer  when 
they  cannot  get  what  they  want.  One  mother  uses 
corn-cobs  in  fence-building  and  for  telegraph  poles. 
The  interior  furnishing  always  calls  for  special  atten- 


i6o     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

tion.  What  a  fine  couch,  for  instance,  can  be  made  of 
a  domino  covered  with  a  piece  of  gay  flannel. 

Get  the  children  to  build  a  substantial  playhouse  of 
firewood  or  other  sticks.  In  this  house  may  be  laid 
water-pipes,  consisting  of  sheets  of  newspaper  rolled 
into  long  cylinders,  measuring  an  inch  or  so  across 
the  end,  and  kept  from  unrolling  by  tying  with  string 
or  folding  the  ends  in.  These  may  be  slipped  into 
each  other  and  as  many  used  as  are  needed,  while 
larger  cylinders  will  do  for  waste  pipes.  If  you  have 
the  floor  space  to  spare,  let  the  house  stand  in  a  corner 
and  grow  from  day  to  day;  otherwise,  when  the  play- 
ing is  over  make  the  children  put  the  boxes  and  other 
material  in  a  designated  place  until  you  are  ready  to 
let  them  use  it  again. 

This  building  can  be  carried  on  for  an  indefinite 
time,  alterations  being  made  as  fancy  strikes  the  chil- 
dren. It  has  endless  possibilities,  leading  the  mind 
outward  in  widening  circles,  as  the  orderly  work  of 
their  hands  sets  the  pace.  It  fosters  and  tests  con- 
structive ability  and  resourcefulness.  You  can  give 
the  children  their  first  ideas  of  geography  by  this  crude 
map  on  the  floor,  but  do  it  without  saying  so  to  them. 
Do  not  make  play  burdensome  by  pointing  out  its  les- 
son or  its  moral. 

You  ask:  ''How  shall  I  implant  originality  and 
initiative  in  my  children?"  Heaven  has  implanted 
these  traits  in  every  healthy-minded  child.  Did  you 
ever  see  a  stupid  six-year-old  ?  Only  grown  people  are 
stupid,  in  many  instances  made  so  and  usually  by  mis- 
directed efforts  to  make  them  clever.  All  you  need 
think  about  is  that  you  do  not  kill  originality  and 
initiative  by  under-  or  over-training.    You  can  foster 


Play  i6i 

them  by  means  of  the  right  kind  of  playthings  and 
by  play  which  is  not  too  closely  supervised. 

Teach  the  children  to  amuse  themselves  with  what 
lies  at  hand,  with  what  they  can  procure  and  make  for 
themselves,  with  things  that  do  not  cost  money. 
Silence  the  everlasting  *'I  want,  I  want."  Make  the 
child  take  pleasure  in  making  things  for  himself  rather 
than  give  him  the  idea  that  whatever  he  wants  can  be 
had  for  money.  This  one  kind  of  lesson  may  mean 
the  shaping  of  his  entire  future,  and  helps  to  create  the 
dividing  line  between  constructiveness  and  destructive- 
ness. 

Organized  games  which  do  not  lead  to  spontaneity 
are  not  play.  Children  for  whom  play  is  scientifically 
planned  with  a  purpose  in  every  movement  are  likely 
to  grow  up  as  unimaginative  and  uninteresting  as 
those  who  sponsor  such  instruction.  That  is  why  I 
object  to  the  much-advertised  "teaching  children  in 
school  how  to  play." 

Children  need  to  forget  themselves  in  the  absorption 
of  play.  They  need  to  plan  voyages,  dig  canals,  rear 
fine  structures  that  tumble  down  all  too  quickly  when 
a  grown-up  attempts  to  take  part  in  the  game.  A  few 
grown  people — very  few,  indeed — can  go  back  into  the 
land  of  make-believe,  but  most  of  us  bring  with  us 
the  atmosphere  of  reality  that  is  destructive  to  real 
play.  Leave  the  children  to  themselves  while  the 
guardian  is  busy  with  other  things  near  by.  Then  they 
will  learn!  A  tea-party  is  a  grand  function,  even  if 
only  cold  water  is  served  in  the  cups,  for  imagination 
will  do  the  rest. 

Direct  the  play  as  unostentatiously  as  possible,  leav- 
ing as  much  as  possible  to  the  child,  for  if  genuine, 


1 62     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

the  impulse  to  play  comes  from  within.  Do  not  always 
be  trying  to  show  them  a  better  way,  but  give  them 
a  chance  to  carry  through  their  undertakings  without 
interference  in  the  guise  of  help.  Let  them  battle 
with  their  difficulties,  the  pleasure  of  surmounting 
obstacles  being  an  essential  feature  of  all  play. 

Do  not  be  misled  into  assuming  that  repetition  is 
monotonous  to  a  child,  for  you  have  only  to  use  your 
own  eyes  and  senses  to  assure  yourself  that,  fortunately 
for  the  process  of  learning,  the  little  child  loves  it, 
loves  the  same  toys  and  games  day  after  day. 

Before  undertaking  to  teach  the  child  how  to  do  a 
thing  you  have  not  done  yourself,  do  it  alone,  so  that 
you  may  better  estimate  the  effort  required,  as  well  as 
be  better  prepared  to  show  and  explain  it. 

If  these  plans  and  devices  had  no  more  value  than 
that  of  keeping  the  little  ones  safe  and  quiet  and 
happy,  they  would  be  worth  while,  but  in  truth  they 
furnish  instruction  of  an  indispensable  kind,  for  they 
train  the  sense  of  touch. 

Think,  too,  how  your  sympathetic  interest  in  his 
play  will  draw  your  child  nearer  to  you,  how  it  will 
tend  to  make  him  look  to  you  for  help,  advice,  and 
direction  in  more  important  matters.  The  tender 
young  plant  will  grope  about  for  something  stronger 
and  sturdier  than  itself  to  cling  to  and  steady  itself. 
How  many  children  have  been  alienated  from  their 
home  by  having  to  seek  such  help,  advice,  and  direc- 
tion from  strangers ! 


CHAPTER  IX 


WORK 


"In  every  work  that  he  began,  he  did  it  with  all  his 
heart,  and  prospered." 

At  no  time  prior  to  perhaps  1850  would  it  have  been 
considered  necessary  in  our  country  to  include  in  a 
book  on  education  a  set  of  reasons  for  training  children 
to  work.  Parents  heard  at  church  that  man  is  born  for 
labor,  and  that  the  light  of  day  comes  to  summon  him 
to  work,  they  read  at  home  than  man  shall  eat  his  bread 
in  the  sweat  of  his  brow  and  they  reverently,  almost 
unconsciously,  gave  thanks  for  the  blessing  which  was 
worded  like  a  curse.  They  studied  Watts,  who  could 
blend  in  a  single  quill  ful  the  soundest  religious,  moral, 
and  practical  philosophy,  as  in  the  passage :  '*For  vacant 
hours  move  heavily,  and  drag  rust  and  filth  along  with 
them;  and  'tis  full  employment  and  a  close  application 
to  business  that  is  the  only  barrier  to  keep  out  the 
enemy  and  save  the  future  man.''  For  a  hundred  years 
"Poor  Richard"  taught  them  that 

"He  who  by  the  plow  would  thrive, 
Must  either  hold  the  plow  or  drive," 

and  that  if  they  would  find  treasure  in  their  fields  they 
should  dig  well,  but  take  care  not  to  dig  more  than 
plow-deep.  They  read  history  and  biography  for 
pleasure  and  profit,  finding  on  every  page  ample  con- 
firmation of  their  own  experience  and  observation,  that 
under  personal  achievement  lies  personal  struggle. 

163 


n 


164     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

Now,  with  our  wonderful  progress! veness  these 
hitherto  never-failing  sources  of  moral  instruction  and 
intellectual  stimulus  have  fallen  into  disuse.  People 
have  grown  appallingly  indifferent  to  public  worship, 
the  Bible  has  been  supplanted  on  the  reading  table  by 
the  Sunday  newspaper,  Watts  is  read  only  by  those 
who  seek  to  enrich  their  own  output  with  dead  men's 
thoughts,  while  history  and  biography  and  philosophy 
have  given  place  to  "Bringing  up  Father"  and  the 
"movies."  What,  then,  have  parents  to  lean  upon 
when  confronted  with  questions  as  to  what  is  good  for 
their  children?  No  man  is  sufficient  unto  himself. 
Having  no  directive  in  their  minds,  they  turn  naturally 
to  the  proffered  doctrines  of  temporal  expediency, 
which  substitute  intensity  of  play  for  work,  animal 
inclination  for  a  sense  of  duty.  Parents  and  teachers 
are  being  deluded  with  such  prattle  as  this :  "Thorough- 
ness is  an  old-fashioned  delusion";  "Education  is  too 
much  like  taking  medicine;  it  should  be  made  painless" ; 
"Do  not  ask  children  to  do  work  in  which  they  do  not 
see  the  practical  purpose."  In  order  to  be  on  the  safe 
side  popular  lecturers  say  catchy  things  such  as: 
"Education  is  freedom.  Any  pressure  that  would  vio- 
late this  should  be  abolished.  The  spirit  must  not  be 
bound.  The  test  of  what  is  good  for  children  is 
the  joy  with  which  they  react  to  it.  Never  again  let 
us  hear  of  children  working.  Abolish  farm-chores, 
housework,  etc."  It  naturally  follows  that  children 
grow  up  with  the  notion  that  they  can  play  through 
life,  that  education  can  be  conducted  on  the  principle 
of  fascination,  that  the  world  owes  them  a  living,  in- 
cluding a  self -starting  automobile,  that  no  man  should 
be  compelled  to  work  hard  and  steadily  at  anything 


Work  165 

that  does  not  interest  him,  that  the  Ten  Command-  . 
ments  can  very  well  be  abridged  into  the  compactness 
of  "We  should  worry.'* 

We  are  now  learning  through  actual  experience  what 
it  would  have  been  cheaper  to  learn  from  the  teach- 
ings of  religion  and  history,  that  following  the  natural 
inclinations  reduces  man  to  the  level  of  the  beasts  of 
the  field.  The  natural  consequences  of  our  trying  out 
substitutes  for  work  in  the  home  and  school  and  busi- 
ness world  is  the  country's  swift  approach  to  a  state 
of  degradation  unparalleled  since  the  downfall  of  Rome, 
unless  it  be  in  the  equatorial  jungles.  People  have  gone 
mad.  Our  country  is  full  of  insurgents,  seething  with 
unrest  and  dissatisfaction.  Everywhere  there  are 
strikes,  divorces,  lynchings,  inadequate  incomes,  dis- 
jointed traffic,  mutual  distrust,  open  and  hidden  de- 
fiance of  the  law,  lawlessness  parading  in  the  garb  of 
patriotism,  indescribable  extravagance.  The  public 
sense  of  right  and  wrong  is  being  perverted  by  the  men 
and  women  who,  having  relapsed  into  pagan  ways, 
trick  out  vices  in  fine  phrases  on  the  plea  that  what  is 
beautiful  cannot  be  harmful.  Those  who  dare  to  see 
indecency  in  any  spectacle  offered  by  the  stage  or  screen 
are  sneered  at  as  having  evil  imaginations.  Intelligence 
is  at  such  a  low  ebb  that,  as  shown  by  the  War  Depart- 
ment's tests,  fifty-five  per  cent  of  3,000,000  men  in 
the  prime  of  life  and  strength  possess  only  the  minds 
of  children,  having  come  to  a  mental  standstill  before 
they  left  the  grammar  school. 

This  country  will  not  become  once  more  a  good  place 
to  live  in  until  men  and  women  realize,  and  act  upon 
the  realization,  that  they  must  give  an  honest  day's 
work  in  return  for  a  living,  for  freedom,  safety,  honor, 


1 66     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

home,  and  education.  People  have  got  to  work,  but 
grown-up  idlers  are  not  going  to  do  it  until  a  period  of 
semi-starvation  brings  them  to  their  senses.  For  them 
must  come  the  horrors  of  the  convict  stone-pile,  so 
burdensome  and  exhausting  is  work  to  those  who  have 
not  been  trained  from  childhood  to  continuous  exertion. 
None  of  us  would  work  were  we  not  driven  to  it  by 
sheer  compulsion  or  the  blessed  force  of  early  habit. 
Working  under  compulsion  and  without  a  goal  has 
the  ignoble  and  slavish  character  of  drudgery,  but 
work  for  which  we  are  fitted,  and  for  which  habit  has 
prepared  us  from  childhood,  is  the  simplest  natural 
solution  of  the  problem  of  human  happiness.  The  very 
exertion  of  physical  and  mental  powers  to  the  full  of 
their  capabilities  in  productive  work,  the  conquest  of 
a  hard  task,  fills  the  soul  with  a  joy  far  exceeding  the 
delight  of  self -chosen  play. 

There  have  always  been  sacrifices  to  child-labor,  and 
there  always  will  be  until  this  globe  becomes  inhabited 
by  a  race  different  from  any  now  upon  it.  But  deplor- 
able and  destructive  as  are  the  evils  of  overwork,  they 
are  not  to  be  compared  in  number  and  extent  with  the 
evils  of  child-idleness.  Because  men  have  died  of  over- 
eating, shall  we  legislate  against  the  use  of  food?  Any 
good  thing  in  excess  becomes  evil,  whether  work  or 
play  or  food  or  courage  or  patriotism. 

To  make  a  sound  mind  in  a  sound  body  there  must 
be  bodily  and  mental  effort  in  due  proportion.  If  the 
nervous  system  is  in  constant  use  it  wears  out,  and 
especially  is  this  true  in  children,  who  should  be  making 
strenuous  physical  effort  if  for  no  other  reason  than  to 
let  the  nerves  rest.  No  formal  gymnastics  can  equal 
in  health-giving  value  the  natural  bodily  exercises  called 


Work  167 

for  by  house  chores,  the  care  of  animals  and  plants, 
cultivating  the  ground  and  such  regular  work,  espe- 
cially the  kind  that  brings  children  into  contact  with 
Mother  Earth.  The  need  of  this  contact  was  shown  in 
the  well-known  experiment  of  insulating  guinea  pigs 
from  the  influence  of  the  earth's  magnetism,  which 
resulted  in  their  developing  rickets. 

No  legacy  of  lands  and  dollars  can  make  your 
children  as  truly  independent  for  life  as  the  facility 
and  willingness  to  do  whatever  comes  to  hand,  yet  this 
is  a  kind  of  priceless  capital  within  the  reach  of  the  low- 
liest home.  According  to  the  wholesome  rule  among 
the  Jews  all  children  of  high  and  low  birth  were 
obliged  to  learn  some  trade.  Thus  Christ  was  a  car- 
penter, Paul,  though  versed  in  the  literature  and  phi- 
losophy of  Greece,  became  a  tent-maker  and  at  this 
trade  labored  for  his  support.  Training  and  practice 
throughout  childhood  in  ordinary  work  of  house, 
garden,  barn,  and  field  are  the  most  practical  founda- 
tion for  all  trades  and  professions,  as  well  as  for  the 
beginnings  of  homekeeping,  which  is  a  trade  that  in 
this  life  of  uncertainty  may  very  well  stand  between 
your  children  and  penury. 

Even  if  it  had  no  value  whatever  except  as  a  kind 
of  old-age  insurance,  it  would  be  worth  all  the  trouble 
of  its  acquisition,  since  it  is  no  great  burden  to  carry. 
Statisticians  tell  us  that  by  sixty-five  the  majority  of 
men  have  settled  down  to  final  failure  and  dependence 
upon  others  for  support,  but  how  many  final  failures 
has  the  reader  known  among  men  and  women  who 
were  perseveringly  and  intelligently  active?  In  time 
of  stress  a  smattering  of  book-knowledge  alone  will 
not  win  an  undying  welcome  at  an  alien  hearth.    Effi- 


1 68     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

ciency  along  lines  of  commonplace  activities  will  pro- 
vide a  ready  quid  pro  quo  for  one's  keep  when  personal 
misfortune  leaves  showier  accomplishments  at  a  dis- 
count. 

Even  if  your  worldly  circumstances  are  such  that 
you  do  not  need  your  children's  help,  you  are  none 
the  less  morally  bound  to  make  them  give  it.  Our 
Heavenly  Father  does  not  need  our  work,  yet  He  sets 
us  our  tasks  and  holds  us  to  account  for  our  steward- 
ship. In  the  homes  of  the  extremely  poor  the  children 
get  the  discipline  of  struggle,  the  drill  of  hardship, 
without  very  much  conscious  training.  This  is  why 
one  who  has  risen  from  a  lowly  home  to  dizzy  heights 
said  recently,  "Hunger  and  thirst  are  the  wjay  to 
heaven."  Wealthy  parents  should  exert  themselves 
to  accustom  their  children  to  only  the  necessaries  of 
life  and  to  compel  thrift,  simplicity,  and  hard  work, 
else  the  children  are  doomed  to  softness  of  body  and 
mind. 

The  habit  of  work  is  considerably  more  than  the  key 
to  material  gain,  for  the  ability  to  make  money  is  after 
all  the  lowest  of  all  practical  tests  of  success  in  life. 
Things  that  are  of  enduring  value  in  this  world  can- 
not be  bought  in  the  marketplace.  A  sense  of  responsi- 
bility is  to  the  moral  life  what  terrestrial  gravitation 
is  in  the  physical  world.  The  well-trained  mind,  the 
well-balanced  character,  whatever  a  person  really  is, 
are  closely  associated  with  the  habit  of  work.  With  it 
go  muscle-making,  resolution,  fortitude,  a  readiness  to 
meet  untried  tasks.  Those  parents  fail  in  their  bounden 
duty  who  send  children  from  under  their  roof  to  a 
school  before  taking  such  simple  and  efficacious  means 
of  forming  character  as  is  supplied  by  the  habit  of 


Work  169 

work.  After  eighteen  centuries  the  words  of  Rabbi 
Judah  still  keep  their  substance :  ''He  who  teacheth 
not  his  son  a  trade  does  as  if  he  taught  him  to  be  a 
thief."  A  dread  of  hard  work  sends  more  young 
people  into  lives  of  crime  than  do  poverty,  low  wages, 
and  ignorance  combined,  yet  in  the  physically  fit  indi- 
vidual a  dread  of  hard  work  springs  mainly  from  the 
lack  of  the  habit  of  work.  Children  are  not  naturally 
loafers;  they  realize  not  only  profit  but  pleasure  in 
learning  and  doing,  and  it  is  the  business  of  education 
to  train  them  during  the  plastic  years  so  that  their  life- 
work,  whatever  it  may  be,  becomes  their  principal 
source  of  pleasure. 

Education  means  preparation  and  training  for  work. 
If  children  are  to  be  prepared  for  the  struggle  of  life, 
they  must  be  drilled  to  earnest,  persistent  effort  which 
is  in  no  way  dependent  on  momentary  impulse  or 
caprice.  It  is  not  nearly  enough  to  teach  them  how  to 
work,  for  that  is  comparatively  simple.  The  important 
thing  is  to  keep  them  at  it  until  the  habit  of  working 
becomes  formed.  Anyone  who  allows  them  to  shun 
and  avoid  doing  the  thing  disliked,  or  who  allows  them 
to  do  everything  playfully,  is  actually  placing  difficul- 
ties in  the  way  of  a  naturally  intelligent  child's  healthy 
development. 

Many  a  mother  lets  her  children  run  scot-free  and 
does  the  work  herself,  because  it  is  easier  than  keeping 
everlastingly  after  them  to  make  them  work,  or  because 
she  wants  them  to  ''have  things  easier"  than  their  par- 
ents had.  So  when  Paul  goes  to  bed  without  bringing 
up  the  coal,  mother  does  it  instead  of  making  Paul  get 
out  of  bed  and  do  it.  Such  a  mother  is  setting  in  the 
child's  way  obstacles  which  are  not  naturally  there  and 


170     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

which  are  harder  to  surmount  than  the  natural  ones. 
This  is  not  love,  for  true  love  trains  the  child  in  such  a 
way  that  no  bad  habits  clog  his  attempts  to  rise.  As 
one  wise  mother  says,  "I  love  my  children,  and  I  expect 
to  keep  on  loving  them  in  spite  of  anything  they 
may  do,  even  to  committing  murder.  But  I  owe  it  to 
them  to  train  them  so  that  other  people  can  at  least 
tolerate  them." 

One  thing  that  American  children  need  to  learn  is 
to  attend  to  their  own  business  and  to  complete  an 
assigned  task  before  meddling  with  other  things.  What 
a  rara  avis  is  the  boy  or  girl  of  fourteen  who  can  go  at 
a  piece  of  work  and  ''sweat  over  it"  until  it  is  mastered! 
How  few  men  and  women,  even,  can  apply  themselves 
assiduously  for  several  consecutive  hours  to  the  solu- 
tion of  a  definite  problem.  To  do  two  hours'  work 
without  loafing  or  lagging  is  impossible  to  them,  for 
they  have  not  learned  how.  A  few,  a  very  few,  have 
learned  to  sit  down  for  ten  consecutive  minutes  to  an 
assigned  mental  task  without  wandering  off  rainbow- 
chasing.  As  proofs  that  Americans  are  retrograding, 
foreigners  cite  the  facts  that  they  will  not  stick  at 
anything,  they  will  not  submit  to  discipline,  they  are 
wonderfully  clever  at  putting  on  the  appearance  of 
work,  they  are  clever  at  guessing,  and  they  habitually 
and  unconsciously  lie  to  themselves  about  their  attain- 
ments and  their  work.  If  you  will  train  a  child  of  six 
to  work  steadily  for  fifteen  minutes  at  one  task,  and 
keep  this  up  day  after  day,  you  can  lengthen  the  time 
the  second  year  to  thirty  minutes.  At  this  rate  the 
fourteen-year-old  can  work  for  two  consecutive  hours 
at  an  assigned  task  without  lagging  or  loafing.  He 
will  then  have  acquired  one  of  the  first  essentials  of 


Work  17  r 

success  in  life,  the  habit  of  diligence,  which  is  a  better 
test  of  true  education  than  is  a  college  diploma. 

Among  other  reasons  for  the  fact  that  European 
schoolboys  are  two  years  in  advance  of  American 
schoolboys,  Sidney  G.  Fisher,  writing  in  American 
Education,  has  this  to  offer: 

"The  (European)  child  is  expected  to  work  hard. 
Little  pity  is  shown  the  dull  or  lazy.  This  severity 
seems  to  be  enforced  without  the  injury  to  health, 
which  is  the  frequent  cry  in  this  country. 

"Human  beings,  young  and  old,  were  made  for  work ;  ^ 
and  when  in  normal  health  can  stand  with  perfect  im- 
punity great  strains  of  it,  or  what  seems  to  some  like 
great  strains.  If  this  were  not  so,  civilization  would 
never  have  advanced  to  where  it  is.  When  in  our 
normal,  sound  condition,  fatigue  is  a  medicine,  a 
benefit,  even  a  pleasure,  and  contributes  enormously 
to  growth  and  development  of  both  body  and  mind." 

In  conjunction  with  sense-training,  regular  work  is 
the  best  and  safest,  if  not  the  only  cure  for  undeveloped 
mentality.  It  does  not  take  high  intelligence  to  learn 
how  to  work,  yet  ability  to  work  to  good  purpose  not 
only  atones  in  no  small  degree  for  limited  intelligence, 
but  it  actually  promotes  and  develops  intelligence. 
Read  the  life  of  the  philosopher  and  educational  re- 
former, Friedrich  Froebel.  In  school  he  passed  for  a 
dunce  and  so  was  apprenticed  to  a  forester,  while  his 
brother  was  sent  to  the  university,  but  at  work  in  the 
grand  old  Thuringian  forest  he  gained  a  profound 
insight  into  the  laws  of  the  universe  and  came  forth 
at  the  age  of  seventeen,  possessed  not  only  with  the 
idea  of  making  the  world  a  better  place  to  live  in,  but 


172     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

with  the  patience  and  persistence  and  the  powerful 
mentality  to  accomplish  his  purpose. 

A  man  died  recently  in  Minnesota  who  from  the  time 
he  was  nine  until  he  was  seventeen  was  known  to  his 
neighbors  as  the  omndhaun,  which  is  Gaelic  for  dul- 
lard, blockhead.  And  he  was  exactly  that.  He  could 
not  learn  to  count  except  on  his  fingers,  he  could  not 
spell  or  read.  On  the  advice  of  teachers  he  was  taken 
out  of  school  and  set  to  work  on  his  father's  farm, 
where  he  did  all  kinds  of  work,  according  to  what  was 
suitable  at  different  stages  of  physical  growth.  He 
grew  up  into  a  powerfully  built,  enormously  strong 
young  man,  and,  what  is  most  interesting,  slowly 
awakened  to  a  craving  for  knowledge  and  a  belief  in 
his  own  powers  of  acquiring  it.  Even  at  seventeen, 
however,  he  did  not  know  the  multiplication  tables, 
but  he  had  learned  to  figure  up  weights  and  other 
measures  where  hundreds,  thousands,  and  finally 
millions  were  involved,  doing  the  examples  in  his  head 
by  simple  painful  processes  of  addition  or  subtraction. 

As  soon  as  his  parents  saw  that  at  twenty-one  he 
had  actually  arrived  at  a  stage  where  he  could  learn, 
they  sent  him  back  to  school.  He  now  mastered  books 
as  he  had  mastered  the  horses  and  farm  routine  and 
machinery.  He  went  through  the  university  and 
became  prominent  as  an  educator  and  lecturer,  and  in 
the  hope  of  helping  others  who  might  be  similarly 
handicapped,  wrote  his  autobiography,  ''Studevan's 
Omadhaun,"  in  which  he  lays  supreme  stress  upon  the 
value  of  learning  through  the  muscles  as  opposed  to 
mere  theoretical  instruction. 

Even  if  we  look  upon  education  from  the  minor 
standpoint  of  scholarship,  common  sense  tells  us  that 


Work  173 

it  is  impossible  of  attainment  without  long  laborious 
preparation,  for  while  the  facts  themselves  may  be 
acquired  by  a  knack  of  memory,  the  ability  to  deal 
sagaciously  with  facts  is  in  practically  every  case  the 
outcome  of  the  mother's  patience  and  perseverance  in 
making  children  do  the  same  thing  exactly  so  day  after 
day.  It  is  this  making  which  is  the  backbone  of  educa- 
tion. It  supplements  schooling  or  supplies  the  lack  of 
schooling.  Children  who  are  trained  to  work  at  the 
common  tasks  of  life  make  far  more  rapid  and  sound 
intellectual  advancement  than  pampered  children  who 
have  only  a  casual  attitude  towards  responsibility. 
Time  and  again  the  author  has  undertaken  to  instruct 
children  of  ten  or  older  who  had  never  received  any 
primary  schooling  but  who,  owing  either  to  necessity 
or  the  good  sense  of  their  parents,  had  been  drilled  to 
work  and  trained  to  a  satisfactory  degree  of  responsi- 
bility. Without  a  single  exception  these  pupils  learned 
in  months  what  school  children  ordinarily  dawdle  over 
for  years.  While  one  may  conclude  from  this  that 
children  are  the  gainers  for  deferring  book-instruction 
longer  than  is  done  at  present  it  would  be  unsafe  to  stop 
with  this  deduction,  for  when  children  have  idled  away 
ten  or  twelve  years  at  home  or  elsewhere,  it  is  no  longer 
in  the  power  of  the  best  teacher  to  teach  them  anything 
worth  while. 

What  was  true  in  the  case  of  the  pupils  referred  to 
will  be  found  true  in  general :  children  who  learn  to 
work  with  their  hands,  who  can  persist  in  laborious 
effort  until  obstacles  are  overcome,  who  rejoice  in  the 
finished  task,  have  had  the  best  kind  of  preparation  to 
succeed  in  books.  The  mastery  of  every  new  bit  of 
manual  work,  no  matter  how  simple,  means  an  increase 


174     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

of  mental  acuteness  as  well  as  of  manual  cleverness.  In 
the  order  of  Nature,  physical  work  comes  before  men- 
tal work,  the  hand  should  be  trained  before  the  brain 
is  taxed.  With  the  right  foundation  of  training  for 
practical  application,  the  teaching  from  books  becomes 
unbelievably  easy,  because  when  suitable  mental  tasks 
are  then  imposed  or  self-imposed,  their  performance 
is  assured  by  the  will  power  previously  acquired.  This 
is  one  reason  why  the  children  of  unlettered  parents 
have  often  risen  to  great  moral  and  intellectual  heights, 
for  the  parents,  in  doing  what  they  knew  was  good 
for  soul  and  body,  were  unknowingly  doing  the  very 
things  that  were  best  for  the  mind.  High  scholarship 
crowned  their  efforts,  but  the  crown  of  the  crown  was 
strong  character  and  wisdom,  which  are  the  sanctified 
correlatives  of  the  will  to  overcome  obstacles  and  the 
ability  to  keep  at  a  hard  assignment  to  the  point  of 
accomplishment. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  turn  work  into  an  amusement,  but 
for  all  that,  it  is  the  state  of  mind  in  which  work  is 
done  that  determines  its  value  to  the  doer.  Work  in 
the  right  proportion,  done  in  the  right  spirit,  is  whole- 
some and  educative,  while  overwork,  unsuitable  work, 
work  to  which  we  are  not  properly  trained,  work  that 
is  slavish  or  degrading  in  the  mind  of  the  doer,  is 
drudgery,  unwholesome  and  uneducative.  Whether  the 
children's  daily  round  of  household  duties  is  work  or 
drudgery  depends  upon  circumstances  within  the  con- 
trol of  healthy-minded  parents.  If  parents  proceed  on 
the  assumption  that  it  is  a  real  misfortune  to  get  up 
early  and  work  late  at  some  untidy  form  of  manual 
employment,  or  if  they  speak  enviously  of  those  who 
toil  not,  or  pride  fully  of  their  acquaintance  with  the 


Work  175 

idle  rich,  you  may  be  sure  that  their  children  will  whine 
and  sulk  and  shirk  and  resist  to  the  uttermost  the  daily 
necessary  grind. 

How  different  it  is  in  the  well-guided  home.  The 
mother  knows  that  in  each  child  is  an  original  power 
that  can  become  a  constructive  force  only  through 
being  exerted,  even  as  the  lily  of  the  valley  can  develop 
its  sweet  blossoms  only  if  the  roots  have  been  sub- 
jected to  frost.  She  remembers  the  poet's  words: 
"Before  knowledge  the  gods  have  placed  sweat." 
She  therefore  puts  aside  weak  sentimentality  and  reso- 
lutely schools  her  children  for  life  in  a  world  that  is 
ruled  by  "You  must,"  not  by  "I  want." 

Because  activity  is  the  law  of  child  nature,  it  is  easy 
and  natural  for  the  mother  to  teach  and  enforce  phys- 
ical work.  Like  a  wise  engineer  she  does  not  seek  to 
check  the  mountain  torrent,  but  rather  guides  it  within 
safe  limits  and  utilizes  it.  Instead  of  forever  nagging 
children  to  be  good  or  quiet,  she  keeps  them  so  busy 
that  they  have  little  time  to  be  naughty.  She  begins 
this  training  in  the  pretty,  easy,  natural  way  of  parent 
birds  teaching  their  nestlings  to  fly.  Watch  how  the 
old  birds  lift  the  wings  of  the  young  ones  to  try  their 
strength,  and  to  make  them  exert  themselves.  A  short 
flight,  a  rest,  another  short  flight,  another  rest,  encour- 
aging cries  in  midflight — thus  the  little  wings  grow 
stronger. 

The  foundation  of  the  work  habit  is  the  habit  of 
ready  and  willing  obedience  to  the  parents.  Give  chil- 
dren daily  drill  for  the  express  purpose  of  enabling 
them  to  respond  quickly  and  intelligently  to  commands 
and  directions.  Such  drills  are  to  the  mind  and  body 
what  tuning  is  to  the  master's  violin.    Make  the  little 


176     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-M other 

child  come  to  you,  stand  quietly  in  front  of  you,  look 
you  in  the  eye  while  you  give  a  single  definite  instruc- 
tion such  as : 

*Tlace  this  book  on  the  dining-room  table." 
"Go  to  the  kitchen,  get  the  dustpan  and  bring  it 
to  me." 

**Get  the  dustcloth  and  wipe  the  dust  off  this  chair." 
"Now  put  the  cloth  again  where  it  belongs." 
Use  judgment  in  assigning  tasks.  Do  not  give  things 
which  are  impossible  to  do,  or  without  sufficient  instruc- 
tion and  drill,  for  you  break  the  child's  courage  when 
you  allow  him  to  consider  himself  a  failure.  Find  out 
what  he  should  be  able  to  do,  teach  him  how  to  do  it, 
then  make  him  do  it  regularly,  punctually,  and  exactly. 
Be  sure  that  the  tasks  are  not  too  long,  but  so  short 
and  so  simple  that  the  child  can  see  to  the  end  of  them 
and  by  keeping  at  work  can  complete  them  within  a 
reasonable  time.  Such  tasks  for  a  child  of  four  to 
six  are :  setting  and  clearing  the  table,  as  far  as  it  can 
be  intrusted  to  her,  carrying  fuel  in  limited  amounts, 
feeding  chicks,  helping  you  with  dishes,  bedmaking, 
sweeping.  A  part  of  every  day  should  be  spent  in  this 
way,  more  work  being  added  from  season  to  season. 
Although  the  daily  schedule  should  be  observed,  the 
child  should  do  special  work  in  special  work-seasons, 
just  as  older  people  must.  That  is  what  life  is  like. 
If  you  are  not  doing  your  own  work  it  is  a  little  more 
difficult  to  plan  suitably,  for  the  child  learns  best  by 
helping  with  the  parents'  daily  labors,  doing  the  drip- 
pings of  grown-up  work. 

Do  not  allow  children  to  undertake  work  beyond 
their  powers.  This  does  not  mean  that  they  are  to  be 
entirely  shielded  from  failure  and  disappointment,  for 


Work  177 

everyone  needs  the  discipline  that  comes  from  failure 
as  well  as  from  success.  If  the  boy  has  a  scheme  for 
coaxing  water  uphill  by  easy  stages,  or  strapping  wings 
on  his  shoulders  for  a  short  flight  around  the  neigh- 
borhood, or  digging  a  hole  through  the  back  yard  into 
China,  or  similar  enterprises  calculated  to  overcome 
the  force  of  gravity,  let  him  alone  except  when  serious 
risk  is  involved.  Let  him  discover  through  toilsome 
experimentation,  rather  than  through  words,  that  cer- 
tain things  are  not  done  in  the  human  world.  But  if 
his  ambition  to  help  you  should  stir  him  to  propose 
weeding  the  whole  garden  or  transferring  a  load  of 
coal  into  the  bin  or  any  such  task  to  which  the  hin- 
drance is  his  own  weakness  and  immaturity,  forbid  it. 
Weeding  four  square  feet  of  garden  or  carrying  ten 
little  buckets  of  coal  is  work  for  a  six-year-old.  Weed- 
ing forty  square  feet  or  carrying  one  hundred  buckets 
of  coal  would  be  drudgery.  Limit  his  undertakings 
to  those  whose  goal  is  within  his  sight  and  from  which 
he  can  therefore  learn  the  joy  of  the  finished  task. 

In  the  choice  of  work,  do  not  consult  the  child's 
whims,  but  ask  yourself :  "Is  this  worth  while  for  the 
child?"  You  know  what  is  good  for  him  and  he  does 
not  know,  so  assign  his  tasks  and  keep  him  to  them. 
It  is  all  very  fine  to  talk  about  children  doing  their  best 
work  when  they  are  interested,  but  no  child  is  enthusi- 
astic about  work  after  the  novelty  wears  off,  and  self- 
chosen  tasks  become  irksome  even  more  quickly  than 
those  laid  on  by  authority.  Your  quest  is  not  to  find 
out  what  is  most  agreeable  to  the  child  but  what  will 
best  prepare  him  for  a  happy  fixture.  You  should  not 
omit  work  because  it  is  hard,  if  it  is  within  the  capacity 
of  the  child,  and  you  must  bring  steady  pressure  to 


178     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

bear  to  compel  regular  work.  The  child  will  acquire 
sufficient  interest  as  soon  and  as  long  as  you  keep  him 
to  a  regular  schedule,  require  him  to  be  at  all  times 
obedient,  polite,  and  respectful,  and  give  him  only  tasks 
that  are  neither  above  nor  below  his  strength  and 
understanding.  Make  each  child  do  each  day  a  set 
number  of  set  things,  such  as  carrying  wood,  drying 
dishes,  watering  chickens,  and  the  like.  Never  overdo 
these  things,  for  virtue  carried  to  excess  becomes  a 
vice.  The  little  child  should  not  be  burdened,  still  less 
overburdened  and  overtaxed.  Such  tasks  as  the  above, 
with  a  few  similar  ones  added  from  season  to  season, 
are  not  burdensome  but  wholesome. 

A  certain  number  of  well-planned,  regular  tasks  are 
much  more  educational  and  disciplinary,  than  un- 
planned, erratic  help,  such  as  running  errands.  A 
child  should  of  course  run  errands,  but  beware  that 
this  is  not  carried  to  extremes  and  abused.  Doing  it 
for  father  and  mother  should  be  about  the  limit,  for 
others  are  apt  to  abuse  the  privilege  of  having  your 
children  fetch  and  carry  for  them.  A  child  should 
never  run  an  errand  for  anybody  without  his  parents' 
express  permission.  Personally,  I  should  strongly 
object  to  the  acceptance  of  money  by  children  as  a  rec- 
ompense for  occasional  errands  for  neighbors,  but  if 
the  errands  are  run  for  a  business,  it  is  an  entirely 
different  matter. 

Plan  a  full  day.  When  you  think  how  many  thou- 
sand steps  a  child  takes  in  playing  during  the  day,  you 
will  realize  that  activity  does  not  harm,  but  benefits 
him.  A  considerable  part  of  this  activity  should  be 
spent  in  a  consciously  useful  direction. 

Make  children  do  their  work  before  they  are  let 


Work  179 

loose  to  play.  A  three-minute  task  postponed  from 
morning  until  afternoon  is  more  dreaded  by  a  child  of 
eight,  and  more  exhausting  to  him,  than  two  hours* 
work  the  first  thing  in  the  morning. 

The  simple  daily  tasks  to  be  taught  first  are  such  as 
dusting  a  chair,  sweeping  the  porch  or  sidewalk, 
watering  the  plants,  standing  the  books  up  on  a  shelf, 
and  so  on.  They  should  be  adapted  to  the  surround- 
ings and  home  conditions.  Show  how  to  do  the  task, 
explain  it  several  times  if  necessary,  then  make  the 
child  follow  your  example  and  make  him  do  it  right. 
Teach  children  to  look  forward  to  helping  you,  not 
to  your  helping  them. 

From  the  age  of  three  every  child  should  have  a 
garden,  if  only  a  tomato  can  or  box  with  quick-growing 
seeds.  He  should  help  any  member  of  the  household 
working  in  the  garden  and  feel  that  his  help  is  of  some 
importance  to  the  family. 

Make  the  child  help  himself.  Of  course  it  is  much 
more  troublesome  to  teach  a  child  how  to  do  a  thing 
than  to  do  it  yourself,  and  this  is  the  real  cause  of 
many  a  mother's  remissness.  See  that  you  do  not 
do  things  for  him  that  he  is  able  to  do  for  himself. 
When  he  says,  "I  can't,"  show  him  that  he  can,  unless 
it  be  something  not  suitable  for  him  to  do.  See  him 
smile  when  he  has  to  acknowledge  that  he  can  do  some- 
thing that  seemed  hard  to  him,  or  that  he  pretended 
was  beyond  his  powers.  Even  a  child  of  four  can 
brush,  not  blacken,  his  own  boots.  By  doing  this  when- 
ever it  has  to  be  done,  even  if  you  have  to  finish  the 
job,  he  realizes  that  it  has  to  be  done  and  he  will 
gradually  learn  to  do  it  right.  Such  things  as  laying 
each  garment  just  where  it  belongs  when  it  is  removed, 


i8o     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

are  suitable  and  necessary  for  a  young  child  to  do. 
Demonstrate  this  each  time  until  he  has  learned. 

Make  the  child  an  independent  worker;  accustom 
him  to  work  without  help,  by  leaving  him  every  day  a 
piece  of  work  to  complete  by  himself.  Plan  lessons  for 
this  particular  purpose,  not  new  things  so  much  as 
enlarging  and  extending  previous  lessons.  The  longer 
you  can  keep  a  child  working  industriously  by  himself 
the  better,  for  it  means  that  he  is  learning  how  to 
learn.  If  he  makes  progress  along  this  line  with  one 
kind  of  task  be  satisfied  for  the  day,  even  if  he  seems 
to  learn  nothing  along  other  lines. 

Good  work  calls  for  thoroughness,  but  thoroughness 
is  impossible  without  long  drill  in  carefulness  and 
should  not  be  expected  of  young  children.  It  is  less 
important  for  a  young  child  to  do  things  than  it  is  to 
keep  trying,  for  the  effort  is  what  counts  most.  Be 
satisfied  with  the  best  they  can  do,  keeping  in  mind 
their  age,  understanding,  and  practice. 

You  should  give  only  such  tasks  as  you  yourself 
can  supervise.  Do  not  tell  the  child  to  do  something 
unless  you  intend  to  follow  it  up  and  see  that  he  has 
done  it  properly,  for  it  is  the  following  up  that  counts. 
Teach  him  respect  for  the  finished  job  and  show  your 
pleasure  over  honest  effort. 

Give  certain  tasks  that  the  child  is  able  to  do  as 
exactly  right  as  a  grown  person  could.  Such  tasks  for 
a  child  of  five  are :  Putting  out  milk  bottles  in  a  certain 
place,  placing  silver  on  the  table  correctly,  setting  chairs 
at  table,  placing  a  rug,  straightening  books  on  a  shelf, 
drying  silver  and  a  few  dishes,  dusting  a  table  or  chair, 
weeding  a  clearly  marked  piece  of  earth  a  foot  or  so 
square. 


Work  i8i 

Sometimes  a  mother  says :  "I  make  my  boy  get  the 
coal  for  me  in  little  buckets,  but  he  does  so  very  reluc- 
tantly." In  such  cases,  you  must  drive  out  the  bad 
habit  of  resistance  to  authority  with  a  good  habit  of 
yielding  to  necessity.  Getting  the  fuel  is  an  eminently 
suitable  task  for  a  healthy  child,  and  if  he  is  not  healthy, 
it  is  one  of  the  best  things  to  improve  his  health.  Make 
this  a  part  of  his  daily  work,  from  which  he  is  at  no 
time  to  be  excused  except  for  illness.  Do  not  scold 
or  nag  but  use  compulsion  when  necessary,  and  after 
a  while,  the  inevitableness  of  it  will  impress  him  so 
that  he  unconsciously  yields  to  circumstances.  The 
habit  becomes  second  nature  and  therefore  agreeable. 

Even  young  children  may  very  well  help  to  destroy 
house-flies,  thus  assisting  to  protect  health  and  pro- 
mote the  comfort  of  the  family.  Each  member  of  the 
family  should  help  to  set  the  good  example. 

A  girl  of  six  should  be  learning  how  to  make  a  bed 
properly ;  how  to  do  the  very  simplest  household  duties. 
She  should  be,  as  she  probably  is,  a  very  busy  child. 

The  child  of  seven  or  older  should  have  some  care 
of  a  younger  child.  Set  aside  a  certain  time  each  day 
for  this,  half  an  hour  or  so.  Taking  care  of  Baby 
indefinitely  is  not  suitable  for  a  child,  as  it  is  a  seem- 
ingly endless  task  and  is  bound  to  be  hated  as  such, 
but  it  is  entirely  appropriate  to  require  a  child  of  six 
to  play  with  little  brother  during  the  half  hour,  more 
or  less,  when  you  have  something  else  to  do  each  day. 
It  is  a  kindergarten  lesson  of  the  most  valuable  kind. 

When  you  are  sewing  or  knitting,  have  the  seven- 
year-old  sit  down  beside  you  and  learn  to  sew  on  but- 
tons, to  knit  ridges,  and  to  do  plain  sewing  with  large 
stitches.     To  knit  a  scarf  for  her  doll  in  her  favorite 


1 82     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

shade  is  suitable  occupation.  A  two-inch  scarf,  four 
to  six  inches  long,  is  best,  so  that  its  completion  will 
not  be  too  long  delayed.  Do  not  let  her  knit  too  long 
at  a  time,  and  call  her  attention  to  the  fact  that  "One 
stitch  and  then  another,  and  the  longest  scarf  is  ended." 
Do  the  setting  up  for  her  and  do  not  teach  her  anything 
but  the  garter  stitch. 

Do  not  allow  the  child  to  sew  steadily  at  kindergar- 
ten cards,  or  to  do  other  close  work,  of  that  kind,  the 
danger  of  eye-strain  and  its  harmful  results  outweigh- 
ing the  possible  good.  Sewing  buttons  on  a  strip  of 
cloth,  or  sewing  in  large  stitches  with  thick  thread  or 
yarn  and  large  needles  is  safer.  To  learn  the  simple 
and  safe  handling  of  needle,  thimble,  and  scissors 
should  be  the  aim  at  this  early  age,  an  aim  that  is 
interfered  with  as  soon  as  the  element  of  showiness 
enters.  Think  of  the  danger  to  a  little  child's  morality, 
when  she  proudly  exhibits  as  the  result  of  her  own 
work  a  piece  of  embroidery  on  a  punctured  card, 
whereas,  as  a  rule,  not  even  the  purely  mechanical  part 
of  it  is  hers. 

When  working  in  the  garden,  put  living  interest  into 
the  work.  Impress  the  children  with  ideas  of  the  enor- 
mous damage  done  to  crops  by  such  enemies  as  weeds, 
insects,  and  marauding  birds.  Teach  them  about  the 
potato-beetle  in  all  stages  of  development  and  with  the 
children's  help,  fight  him  on  his  own  ground.  In  doing 
this,  it  is  safe  to  rouse  the  spirit  of  competition  in 
fighting  evil :  In  half  an  hour  who  can  gather  in  an  old 
tomato-can  the  most  beetles  for  incineration  ?  Or  have 
each  member  of  the  party  start  at  one  end  of  a  row 
and  capture  each  beetle  in  that  row,  mother  inspecting 
the  results.     And  who  can  bring  in  most  carefully- 


IVork  183 

plucked  potato-plant  leaves,  each  bearing  on  its  under 
side  an  egg-colony? 

Father  and  mother  must  lend  encouragement  by  giv- 
ing due  credit  for  honest  childish  efforts.  Baby's  sat- 
isfied "There!"  when  she  sees  your  ceremonious  de- 
struction of  the  two  beetles  from  her  tomato-can  will 
show  you  the  educational  value  of  encouraging  honest 
effort,  however  crude. 

Work  against  time  in  such  undertakings  as  weeding, 
bugging,  dishwashing,  for  then  the  task  takes  on  the 
features  of  a  lark.  Take  the  alarm  clock  to  the  garden 
and  set  it  to  ring  in  half  an  hour,  and  have  everyone 
work  to  see  who  will  get  the  most  done — to  beat  the 
clock.  Call  attention  to  the  improved  appearance  of  a 
weedless  garden,  and  stir  up  pride  in  having  the  best 
weeded  garden  of  your  whole  neighborhood. 

If  the  child  of  five  or  older  has  not  been  trained  in 
helpfulness  make  no  drastic  change,  but  patiently  set 
about  teaching  him  to  perform  one  simple  task.  Do 
not  undertake  several  new  things  in  the  same  week  or 
month,  but  only  how  to  do  that  one  thing  as  well  as 
he  can,  then  make  him  do  it  regularly  and  promptly. 
After  a  short  but  adequate  time,  perhaps  a  week  or 
month,  add  another  task.  Continue  in  this  way,  at 
the  same  time  keeping  up  the  previous  daily  require- 
ments and  getting  more  exacting  with  these. 

Here  are  such  tasks  as  I  would  suggest  for  every 
day  when  the  beginning  is  being  made  as  well  as  those 
previously  mentioned  for  a  child  of  five:  Bringing  in 
the  milk,  dusting  down  the  stairs  or  dusting  the  dining- 
room  chairs,  sweeping  the  porch,  bringing  the  vegeta- 
bles you  require  for  the  kitchen. 

If  any  of  these  are  not  suitable  in  his  case,  substitute 


184     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher -Mother 

others  that  meet  the  present  conditions.  Give  only 
necessary  tasks  that  imply  real  help,  no  whimsical,  in- 
vented, useless  tasks !  Setting  the  table,  using  broom, 
dustcloth,  dish-towel,  hunting  flowers  and  putting  them 
in  water,  tidying  a  room,  tidying  the  yard,  feeding  and 
watering  chickens,  hunting  eggs,  pulling  weeds — there 
is  no  end  of  suitable  tasks  in  each  home  for  children  of 
every  age.  Even  one  month  of  strict  adherence  to  a 
well-ordered  program,  with  its  attendant  tasks,  its 
requirement  of  prompt  obedience,  will  show  you  a 
striking  improvement  in  a  hitherto  troublesome  child. 


CHAPTER  X 

RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Who  is  to  blame  for  moral  crookedness?  In  olden 
days,  when  religion  was  placed  first  instead  of  second, 
third,  or  nowhere,  in  education,  the  responsibility  was 
placed  on  the  parents.  Then  came  the  scientists,  who 
led  us  to  believe  that  if  a  child  was  born  with  a  certain 
height  of  brow  or  length  of  nose  or  setting  of  eyes  or 
ears  or  periphery  of  jaw,  he  was  marked  as  a  fore- 
ordained lawbreaker.  Now,  to  our  relief,  the  experts 
who  in  an  effort  to  establish  a  physical  criminal  type, 
for  twenty  years  have  been  measuring  faces  in  Eng- 
land, have  given  up  the  attempt,  declaring  that  there 
is  no  such  type  and  that  they  find  about  the  same  varia- 
tion of  feature  among  honest  men  as  among  rogues. 

Now  and  then  a  psychologist  cautiously  asserts  that 
there  are  few  born  criminals.  Let  us  go  farther  and 
say  that,  among  the  physically  and  mentally  normal, 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  born  criminal.  We  hear  of 
born  artists  and  born  poets  and  born  teachers,  but 
which  of  them  ever  painted  a  fine  picture  or  wrote  a 
great  poem  or  taught  a  good  lesson  while  his  qualifica- 
tions were  still  limited  to  the  gifts  of  nature?  Neither 
does  one  embark  on  a  career  of  lawlessness  without  a 
preparatory  course.  Parents  cannot  escape  responsi- 
bility by  blaming  a  child's  naughtiness  on  some  remote 
ancestor.  Criminals  are  not  born,  but  made,  neither 
morals  nor  manners  are  hereditary,  and  right  and 
wrong  have  both  to  be  learned. 

i8s 


1 86     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

The  ill-guided  home  is  mainly  responsible  for  the 
lowering  of  moral  standards  and  the  decay  of  the 
national  conscience.  As  Dean  Jones  of  Yale  Univer- 
sity says:  "It  is  astonishing  how  much  faith  many 
parents  have  that  Divine  Providence  will  bring  up  their 
children.  We  are  approaching  a  moral  crisis,  nor  do 
I  think  we  can  avoid  it  by  educating." 

If  by  educating,  Dean  Jones  means  schooling,  indeed 
we  cannot  avoid  the  crisis,  for  as  our  great  educational 
reformer,  Froebel,  warned  us:  "All  education  not 
founded  on  religion  is  unproductive."  Our  schools 
are  godless,  one  result  of  instrusting  them  with  the 
entire  process  of  education  being  that  we  have  mul- 
titudes of  grown  men  and  women  who  have  no  intelli- 
gent sense  of  what  is  right  and  wrong.  We  have 
entered  on  an  epoch  when  moral  instruction  is  needed 
as  it  never  was  needed  before,  not  morals  based  on  a 
vague,  man-made  code,  but  on  the  Ten  Command- 
ments and  the  precepts  of  the  Gospel.  Parents  who 
want  to  have  good  children  without  giving  them  relig- 
ious education  are  trying  to  build  a  superstructure 
without  a  foundation.  "Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of 
God"  is  the  aim  of  all  true  education,  and  if  the  world 
is  to  escape  the  horrors  of  a  new  Dark  Ages  it  must 
return  to  the  true  philosophy  based  on  religious  belief. 

Nothing  will  carry  boys  and  girls  safely  through 
moral  perils  except  faith  in  God,  who  punishes  the 
breakers  of  His  law  and  rewards  the  observers.  Un- 
less children  are  taught  to  regard  all  their  thoughts, 
words,  and  actions  in  the  light  of  an  eternity  of  pain 
and  happiness,  they  become  men  and  women  for  whom 
self-restraint  is  impossible. 

Young  Americans  are  undeniably  clever,  but  when 


Religious  Education  187 

they  are  given  all  the  so-called  advantages  of  schooling 
and  have  no  religion  as  a  directive  of  their  minds,  they 
may  justly  be  regarded  as  mere  educated  animals. 
Their  brains  are  sharpened  to  the  doing  of  two  things, 
making  money  and  having  a  good  time. 

Religion  originally  meant  an  obligation  or  restraint 
imposed  upon  men  by  an  unseen  supreme  power,  bind- 
ing them  to  have  a  care  in  all  their  actions,  an  idea 
which  is  abridged  into  the  old  proverb,  which  tells  us 
that  a  man  without  religion  is  like  a  horse  without  a 
bridle.  Even  to-day,  it  is  religion  that  makes  man 
duly  submissive  to  the  laws  of  the  land,  not  simply 
from  the  fear  of  punishment  but  by  the  restraint  of 
conscience.  The  too- famous  Voltaire,  though  a  de- 
stroyer of  established  law  and  religion,  acknowledged 
this  when  he  said,  "Society  without  religion  would  be 
but  a  den  of  ferocious  beasts." 

Religion  is  essential  to  a  people's  very  existence,  a 
striking  example  of  which  fact  is  given  us  by  the 
Hebrews,  who  faithfully  followed  this  conception  for 
thousands  of  years.  From  the  very  time  of  their 
sojourn  in  the  desert,  they  had  the  books  of  Moses, 
they  read  them  every  day,  and  fathers  transmitted  to 
their  children  the  knowledge  they  contained  as  the  most 
precious  inheritance  they  could  leave  them,  while  the 
children  were  required  to  learn  the  laws  of  God  and  to 
write  them  on  leaves  or  on  sand.  The  people  were  so 
convinced  of  the  authenticity  of  the  sacred  writings 
that  they  accepted  in  all  their  strictness  the  laws  and 
punishments  therein  contained. 

Far  from  irreverence  or  irreligion  being  an  indica- 
tion of  strength  of  mind  or  touch  of  genius,  it  is  quite 
the  reverse,  for  there  is  no  evidence  of  reverence  among 


1 88     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

the  feeble-minded,  and  great  poets  and  painters  have 
ever  gone  to  religion  for  their  inspiration.  Strip  the 
religious  element  from  the  poetry  of  Dante,  Shake- 
speare, or  even  of  Homer  and  Virgil,  and  nothing 
remains  but  the  rigidity  of  the  scaffolding.  Even 
Wordsworth's  greatest  poetic  charm  lies  in  his  concep- 
tion of  Nature  as  the  garment  of  the  living  God.  Leave 
unpainted  and  unhewn  those  masterpieces  of  Raphael, 
Michael  Angelo,  da  Vinci,  Giotto,  executed  for  the 
glory  of  God,  and  what  remains  is  good  workmanship 
but  workmanship  no  longer  eloquent  of  the  animating 
spirit  in  whose  power  the  workman  wrought.  The 
agnostic  is  not  only  incapable  of  creating  a  work  of 
genius,  but  he  is  incapable  of  appreciating  it.  What 
we  find  in  a  work  of  art  depends  upon  what  we  bring 
to  it,  and  if  a  man  cannot  rise  to  the  contemplation  of 
the  unseen  in  religion,  he  cannot  do  so  in  art.  What 
can  the  worldling  see  in  Michael  Angelo' s  kneeling  angel 
beyond  the  artist's  marvelous  knowledge  of  anatomical 
development  and  his  extraordinary  facility  of  execu- 
tion? 

The  child  comes  into  the  world  with  many  good 
qualities  of  mind  and  body  still  dormant,  and  rever- 
ence, the  greatest  of  them,  must  be  awakened  and  ten- 
derly cultivated.  That  is  the  alpha  and  omega  of  true 
education  in  early  childhood,  the  period  of  tender  faith. 
Later,  though  the  individual  may  come  to  realize  what 
he  has  been  denied  through  early  neglect,  and  though 
his  understanding  may  assent  to  the  propositions  set 
before  it,  he  nevertheless  finds  himself  unable  to  feel 
the  unseen  as  a  reality.  ''He  shall  die  without  instruc- 
tion, and  in  the  greatness  of  his  folly  he  shall  go 
astray."     On  the  other  hand,  the  trusting  heart  of 


Religious  Education  189 

childhood  readily  lays  hold  of  spiritual  truth  and  is 
readily  disposed  to  the  reception  of  faith,  "the  sub- 
stance of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  not 
seen."  Faith,  therefore,  should  be  established  early. 
It  does  not  conflict  with  reason,  but  is  above  and 
beyond  it,  for  faith  has  no  limits  and  is  strong,  whereas 
reason  has  limits  and  is  weak.  Because  God  wills  it 
so!  makes  it  easier  for  us  in  all  ways. 

If  a  mother — which  God  forbid — lacks  faith,  she 
must  either  acquire  it  or  else  leave  all  that  pertains  to 
religious  teaching  to  the  priest  or  minister  or  some 
other  competent  and  dependable  person,  and  she  must 
rigorously  abstain  from  any  adverse  criticism,  from 
any  disparaging  remark  that  has  the  least  suspicion  of 
scoffing  in  it,  for  "whoso  shall  offend  one  of  these  little 
ones  which  believe  in  me,  it  were  better  that  a  mill- 
stone were  hanged  about  his  neck,  and  that  he  were 
drowned  in  the  depths  of  the  sea." 

Let  the  mother  whose  early  religious  training  was 
neglected  set  about  overcoming  her  handicap.  In  this, 
her  children's  needs  will  be  her  greatest  help.  Get  a 
catechism,  a  good  Bible  history,  a  Bible,  subscribe  for 
a  good  church  periodical,  and  place  yourself  under  the 
guidance  of  your  spiritual  adviser.  Work  and  pray 
for  direction,  as  Monica  worked  and  prayed  for  her 
son's  salvation,  attend  church  regularly,  attend  Sunday 
school  and  study  how  to  adapt  the  lessons  to  your  home 
instruction,  and  you  will  succeed. 

Between  the  ages  of  three  and  seven  your  children 
should  be  grounded  in  these  essentials :  Belief  that  there 
is  a  Supreme  Being ;  that  He  is  a  living,  personal  God ; 
that  He  has  created  everything  that  exists,  and  yet  is 
our  good  Father,  who  knows  us  and  loves  us ;  that  He 


1 90     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

will  judge  all  human  beings  by  the  law  of  love  which 
He  taught  mankind;  that  God  forgives  the  sins  of 
repentant  souls ;  that  our  souls  are  immortal  souls ;  that 
it  is  our  duty  to  pray  to  God  as  to  a  loving  Father; 
that  if  we  show  devotion  and  faith,  we  may  hope  for 
God's  grace  to  keep  us  from  sin.  It  takes  years  to 
teach  this  creed  and  a  lifetime  to  learn  it.  Teach  these 
young  children  also  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Golden 
Rule,  and  the  Twenty-third  Psalm,  beginning  "The 
Lord  is  my  Shepherd."  This  much  done,  you  have 
laid  the  foundation  for  instruction  in  the  particular 
doctrines  of  your  own  church. 

Real  success,  that  is  the  consciousness  of  having 
lived  a  helpful,  God-fearing  life,  will  not  fail  your 
children  if  you  establish  early  a  becoming  sense  of 
humility,  an  understanding  of  our  limitations,  a  will- 
ingness to  be  taught,  and  the  habit  of  first  submitting 
to  discipline  and  then  disciplining  yourself.  God  makes 
the  tree  grow  as  it  does,  and  He  makes  us  grow  as  we 
do,  only  we  are  much  more  wonderful  than  the  tree, 
because  we  have  a  soul  that  will  live  in  another  world, 
and  because  we  have  something  inside  of  us,  our  con- 
science, that  tells  us  what  is  right  and  what  is  not 
right.  Bring  up  your  children  so  that  they  will  never 
disregard  the  "still,  small  voice."  But  without  direct 
instruction  they  cannot  know  about  conscience,  about 
right  and  wrong,  or  rise  in  the  scale  of  understanding. 
Do  not  force  or  overdo  such  instruction,  but  let  it 
come  naturally  when  time  and  place  seem  fitting.  When 
the  right  opportunity  offers  itself,  when  your  child 
seems  receptive  for  a  deep  and  lasting  impression,  then 
speak  of  God's  care  of  His  children.  Such  teaching, 
coming  from  the  mother,  will  have  a  much  greater 


Religious  Education  191 

eflFect  than  hearing  the  identical  words  in  Sunday 
school.  Impress  on  the  child  by  your  whole  manner 
that  you,  yourself,  believe  what  you  say,  or,  rather, 
that  you  feel  it  and  have  faith  in  it. 

How  happy  is  the  child  whose  tasks  are  lightened, 
whose  temptations  are  overcome,  whose  day  is  bright- 
ened by  daily  prayer !  "Prayer  is  the  key  of  morning 
and  the  bolt  of  night."  Not  only  morally,  but  mentally 
and  physically,  is  prayer  the  portal  and  the  direct  way 
to  sanity,  goodness,  and  happiness.  At  a  meeting  of 
the  British  Medical  Association  in  1906  a  distinguished 
physician  said :  "As  an  alienist  and  one  whose  life  has 
been  concerned  with  the  sufferings  of  the  mind,  I  would 
state  that  of  all  hygienic  measures  known  to  counteract 
disturbed  sleep,  depressed  spirits,  and  all  of  the  miser- 
able sequels  of  a  distressed  mind,  the  first  place  should 
be  given  to  simple,  regular  prayer.  Such  a  habit  does 
more  to  calm  the  spirit  and  strengthen  the  soul  to  over- 
come emotionalism  than  any  other  remedial  agent 
known  to  me.'* 

Begin  by  teaching  your  child  a  simple  prayer,  to  be 
said  regularly  before  going  to  bed,  reverently  kneeling, 
although  if  the  mother  herself  is  not  sincere  in  praying, 
this  should  be  omitted.  Any  substitution  of  so-called 
moral  instruction  would  be  fatal,  for  morals  spring 
from  religion,  not  religion  from  morals.  A  short 
story  from  the  Bible,  told  in  the  mother's  own  words, 
should  precede  the  prayer.  These  stories  should  be 
gradually  lengthened.  They  should  be  told  in  such  a 
way  that  the  child  can  draw  his  own  conclusions.  Leave 
moralizing  out  altogether.  If  the  child  asks  questions, 
such  as :  "Does  that  story  mean  such  and  such  a  thing?" 
and  if  he  is  right,  the  mother  should  not  go  into  rap- 


192     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

tures  over  his  brightness  and  glorify  him,  but  should 
show  her  pleasure  simply  by  petting  or  kissing  him. 
Such  encouragement  is  wholesome. 

Teach  the  Lord's  Prayer.  Say  it  aloud  while  the 
children  kneel  devoutly.  Do  not  as  yet  give  them 
explanations  and  do  not  countenance  questions.  Say 
the  prayer  from  the  depths  of  your  heart,  as  an  invoca- 
tion to  God  rather  than  for  the  purpose  of  making 
children  memorize.  It  is  true  that  young  children  do 
not  understand  the  whole  of  this,  the  prayer  of  pray- 
ers, yet  from  hearing  you  say  it  devoutly  they  will 
through  feeling  learn  intuitively,  which  is  the  right 
way.  For  the  heart  must  be  cultivated  before  the  head. 
A  child  of  three  is  not  too  young  to  pray  *'Our  Father," 
and  to  learn  that  He  is  the  Father  of  all;  "Who  art  in 
Heaven,"  and  he  will  never  weary  of  hearing  about 
Heaven;  "Hallowed  be  Thy  Name,"  and  if  he  asks 
questions  tell  him  that  the  name  is  holy  and  that  when 
this  name  is  mentioned  every  knee  should  bow. 

With  regard  to  praying,  it  is  difficult  to  find  out  what 
notion  a  child  may  have  got  into  his  head  when  he 
does  such  a  thing  as  refuse  to  say  a  certain  prayer; 
possibly  he  misunderstands  its  meaning.  I  have  known 
children,  for  example,  to  refuse  to  ask  for  daily  bread 
unless  there  was  butter  on  it.  Do  not  use  compulsion 
in  this  matter,  but  simply  say  the  prayer  devoutly 
aloud,  allowing  the  child  to  join  in.  Compulsion  must 
of  necessity  be  used  in  other  directions,  where  your 
commands  can  be  enforced;  but  do  not  single  out  this 
particular  as  the  point  on  which  you  will  undertake 
to  enforce  obedience,  for  you  cannot  very  well  suc- 
ceed, and  besides  it  is  not  the  subject  to  choose  for  a 
lesson.    Do  not  urge  or  insist  but  quietly  and  earnestly 


Religious  Education  193 

say  the  prayer  for  him  each  night ;  in  this  way  he  will 
be  led  to  think  with  you  and  say  it  with  you. 

Do  not  worry  about  a  child's  half -saying  his  pray- 
ers. He  cannot  yet  feel  what  the  words  mean,  or  know 
the  need  or  the  good  of  it,  but  all  these  things  will  be 
learned  through  intuition,  rather  than  tuition,  simply 
through  hearing  your  own  heartfelt  appeal  to  God. 
You  are  teaching  by  example  and  feeling  will  be  com- 
municated. Do  not  talk  about  saying  or  not  saying 
prayers  with  earnestness,  for  to  do  so  when  the  feeling 
is  not  there  would  not  be  genuine.  Just  keep  on  ear- 
nestly yourself  and  the  rest  will  take  care  of  itself. 
Before  he  can  know  what  prayer  is  he  must  learn  to 
know  and  feel  God's  power  through  seeing  its  every- 
day manifestations  on  every  hand. 

Make  the  children  understand  that  **our  daily  bread" 
means  food,  which  God  sends.  For  our  good  He  sends 
the  calves  and  lambs  and  chickens,  the  grain  which  they 
see  grow,  the  honey  that  the  bees  make,  the  water  to 
the  spring,  the  milk  to  the  cows,  all  for  His  children. 
Talk  often  about  the  power  and  goodness  and  wisdom 
of  God.  Lead  the  child  to  observe  intimately  the  beau- 
tiful outdoors,  making  him  see  that  God  has  provided 
even  for  the  birds  of  the  air  and  the  beasts  of  the  field. 
Tell  him  that  God  makes  the  sun  rise  in  the  morning  to 
give  us  light  and  warmth  for  our  work,  and  that  He 
makes  it  go  down  at  night  so  that  we  may  rest  for 
another  day's  work;  that  He  makes  the  garden  grow 
and  the  flowers  blossom  and  the  birds  sing  for  our 
use  and  happiness  and  benefit. 

When  children  realize  that  God  paints  the  heavens 
in  glowing  sunset  colors,  and  that  man  could  not  do 
this,  they  will  be  ready  to  accept  other  equal  mysteries. 


194     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

Constantly  point  out  such  things  and  so  lift  them  up 
from  the  grossness  which  is  all  too  common  among 
those  with  whom  they  must  soon  associate.  Such  lofty 
ideas  are  stimulating  to  the  imagination  and  will  help 
to  keep  them  away  from  sordid  ways  of  looking  at 
things  and  from  mean  overvaluation  of  themselves  and 
their  powers.  One  of  the  best  safeguards  against  temp- 
tation is  to  fill  the  lives  of  children  with  the  wonders 
and  beauty  surrounding  them,  so  that  there  is  no  room 
for  mean  little  thoughts  to  develop. 

I  would  tell  the  children  that  the  wisest  men  that 
ever  lived  did  not  know  what  gave  the  odor  to  the  rose 
or  the  color  to  the  tiniest  green  leaf.  When  the  Queen 
of  Sheba  asked  Solomon  to  tell  which  was  the  natural 
wreath  and  which  the  artificial,  he  lifted  the  curtain  and 
let  in  a  swarm  of  bees,  wiser  than  he  in  this  respect, 
and  they  went  at  once  to  the  real  flowers.  As  I  told  my 
pupils  the  other  day,  we  give  little  thought  to  the  noisy 
sparrow  in  the  yard — he  is  common,  commonplace — 
yet  the  wisest  man  that  ever  lived  could  not  make  the 
tiniest  feather  on  that  sparrow's  wing,  or  give  life  to 
the  poor  worm  thoughtlessly  crushed  under  foot.  These 
stories  never  grow  old,  yet  as  a  foundation  for  success- 
ful teaching  there  is  nothing  so  potent  as  the  spirit  of 
reverence  and  humility  engendered  by  earnest  talks  on 
such  subjects.  That  "God  made  everything"  does  not 
reach  the  child's  consciousness  until  he  has  been  taught 
this  lesson  a  thousand  times  about  one  thing  after 
another,  this  flower,  that  flower,  the  trees,  the  animals, 
the  children  and  the  grown  people,  the  moon  and  the 
sun  and  the  green  old  earth  itself.  The  child  slowly 
learns  to  meditate  on  these  things  and  his  mind  becomes 
wonderfully  enriched. 


Religious  Education  195 

Talk  to  the  older  children  about  time  and  eternity; 
try  in  simple  ways  to  give  them  an  idea  of  infinity,  how 
more  years  have  come  and  gone  than  there  are  drops 
of  water  in  the  sea,  and,  whether  this  world  continues 
to  last  or  not,  more  years  will  come  than  there  are 
grains  of  sand  upon  the  shore.  There  remains  nothing 
for  us  but  the  humble  acknowledgment  of  our  inability 
to  comprehend  infinity.  Time  and  space  are  God's. 
This  a  child  can  understand. 

Try  to  answer  reasonable  questions  in  a  simple  and 
suitable  manner,  but  do  not  try  to  explain  to  a  child 
things  that  are  beyond  his  understanding.  It  is  a  canon 
of  modern  pedagogics  that  everything  a  child  takes  it 
into  his  head  to  quiz  you  about  must  be  explained  to 
him  fully  and  frankly  and  quite  immediately;  there 
are  to  be  no  more  mysteries  to  childhood,  but  every- 
thing must  be  naked  and  open  to  the  eye.  Such  doc- 
trine, however,  is  as  unnatural  and  dangerous  as  it  is 
unpleasant  and  foolish.  Every  intelligent  child  asks 
questions  every  day  about  things  utterly  beyond  a 
child's  understanding,  as  well  as  about  things  that  no- 
body can  account  for  and  things  that  are  none  of  his 
rightful  business  to  know.  From  curiosity  and  habit, 
What  and  Why  are  on  the  tip  of  his  tongue  from  morn- 
ing to  night. 

Paul  says :  "Mother,  what  is  electricity?"  Of  course 
you  do  not  know,  so  you  conscientiously  take  down  a 
volume  of  your  new  Compendium  of  Universal  Knowl- 
edge, guaranteed  by  the  book-agent  to  meet  just  such 
questioning  emergencies,  and  begin  reading  him  the 
discourse  on  electricity,  which  opens  with  a  catchy 
comment  on  the  well-known  effect  of  rubbing  the  black 
cat's  back.    Like  a  flash  Paul  is  off  on  the  endless  sub- 


196     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

ject  of  cats.  Back  you  lead  him  to  the  matter  in  hand, 
thinking  to  give  him  some  notion  of  conductors  and 
nonconductors,  but  this  merely  diverts  him  to  the  enter- 
taining subject  of  trolley  crews.  Once  more  you  de- 
tach him  and  think  to  fasten  in  his  mind  an  electrical 
term  or  two,  like  positive  and  negative,  but  he  inter- 
rupts your  statements  this  time  with  a  demand  for  an 
ice-cream  cone. 

This  example  will  do  for  a  type  of  children's  ques- 
tions that  cannot  be  answered  by  definition  or  detailed 
discussion  without  still  further  obscuring  the  subject. 
Both  subject  and  explanation  are  beyond  a  child's  com- 
prehension. You  cannot  resort  to  the  common  method 
of  defining,  which  is  to  use  terms  more  simple  than 
the  thing  defined,  as  in  the  case  of  telling  the  child 
that  a  quadruped  is  a  four-footed  animal,  for  what  is 
known  of  electricity  must  needs  be  expressed  in  terms 
understandable  only  to  a  fairly  mature  mind.  Further- 
more, language  is  still  so  new  to  the  child  that  whatever 
familiar  terms  you  do  use  bulk  so  large  as  to  deflect  his 
mind  from  the  original  subject  and  send  it  darting 
hither  and  yon.  You  cannot  even  compare  it  with 
things  familiar  to  him,  like  comparing  the  tiger  with 
the  house-cat,  because  the  only  possible  comparison  is 
with  things  beyond  the  reach  of  his  intellect  and  acces- 
sible to  him  only  by  intuition.  It  is  a  mystery  and  must 
remain  so  for  the  present,  no  matter  how  faithfully  we 
strive  to  render  it  plain. 

Do  not  pretend  to  explain,  but  take  the  opportunity 
to  teach  him  a  lesson  of  great  moment.  Tell  him  that 
it  is  something  that  he  is  too  young  to  understand; 
that  grown  people  know  something  about  it  but  not 
everything;  that  he  must  wait  until  he  is  older  for  an 


Religious  Education  197 

explanation,  and  that  even  then,  no  matter  how  wise 
he  may  become,  he  will  not  know  all  there  is  to  know 
about  it  until  he  gets  to  the  next  world,  where  all  things 
are  made  plain. 

"O  daisy  mine,  what  will  it  be  to  look 
From  God's  side  even  on  such  a  simple  thing." 

Tell  him  that  this  is  true  of  many  familiar  things 
about  us,  like  a  big  tree  growing  from  a  little  seed,  or 
a  little  live  bird  coming  out  of  its  shell,  or  a  soap  bubble 
showing  rainbow  colors  in  the  sun.  We  observe  such 
things  and  have  names  for  them  and  make  some  use  of 
them,  but  though  wise  men  have  spent  their  lives  in 
trying  to  unravel  it,  the  mystery  remains.  We  can 
only  know  that  these  things  are  part  of  God's  great 
plan  for  His  children.  Supposing  that  after  a  lesson 
on  how  trees  grow,  the  child  asks  the  perfectly  reason- 
able question:  **Do  we  grow  from  the  inside,  like 
trees?"  To  this,  answer  "Yes,"  and  then  continue  as 
with  the  still  more  abstruse  question  on  electricity, 
telling  him  that  he  is  too  young  to  understand  how 
this  is.  If  you  impress  this  lesson  on  children  it  will 
overcome  the  propensity  to  contradict  and  to  require 
a  proof  for  every  statement  you  make.  Modern  par- 
ents and  up-to-date  teachers  are  all  too  prone  to  foster 
the  disputatious  tendencies  of  children  by  giving  an 
explanation  for  everything  and  anything,  although 
they  feel  in  their  hearts  that  it  is  almost  sacrilegious  to 
pretend  to  be  able  to  do  so.  No  wonder  the  modern 
child  has  no  doubt  or  hesitation  about  anything,  and 
that  there  is  no  department  of  human  knowledge  in 
which  he  is  not  better  qualified  to  pronounce  judgment 
than  men  who  have  made  it  their  lifelong  study. 


198     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

Far  from  undertaking  to  explain  everything  to  chil- 
dren, you  cannot  implant  too  early  in  their  minds  the 
seeds  of  a  consciousness  that  very  narrow  and  immov- 
able limitations  have  ail-wisely  been  set  to  all  human 
knowledge  and  understanding.  The  great  minds  who, 
though  well  equipped  by  many  years  of  earnest  quest 
and  untiring  research,  boldly  and  confidently  set  out 
to  find  the  Truth,  have  finally  to  say  with  the  great 
physicist  du  Bois-Reymond,  ''Ignorabimus,  we  shall 
not  know."  The  sooner  you  make  a  child  realize  that 
even  grown-up  people  cannot  understand  everything, 
the  sooner  will  he  content  himself  with  the  thought  that 
most  things  surpass  a  child's  understanding.  And  such 
a  feeling  of  wholesome  and  invigorating  humility  will 
in  no  way  interfere  with  the  striving  after  Truth.  Just 
so,  those  who  truly  strive  to  live  the  ideal  life  are 
those  who  all  the  time  realize  most  clearly  their  human 
frailty  and  shortcomings  and  the  impossibility  of  reach- 
ing that  goal  of  perfection. 

If  the  greatest  scientists  can  openly  confess  their 
inability  to  explain  the  most  common  and  apparently 
simple  things,  why  should  not  you,  teacher-mothers, 
inspire  your  children  to  have  faith  where  they  can 
never  in  this  world  know?  Christ  said  to  His  disci- 
ples :  *T  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye 
cannot  bear  them  now."  What  arrogance  there  is  in 
our  everlasting  Why!  Who  are  we  with  our  little 
minds  that  we  should  conquer  the  mysteries  of  God 
Himself?  Read  in  Isaiah:  "As  the  heavens  are  higher 
than  the  earth,  so  are  my  ways  higher  than  your  ways, 
and  my  thoughts  than  your  thoughts." 

Mothers  often  say:  ''I  always  tell  my  children  the 
exact  truth  about  everything  they  ask."  Now,  mothers, 


Religious  Education  199 

do  not  be  misled  into  imagining  that  you  must  tell 
them  only  the  truth,  as  adults  use  that  word.  It  would 
be  too  strong  meat  for  them,  and  besides,  it  is  not  in 
your  power  to  tell  them  the  truth,  for  not  the  words  you 
may  use  constitute  truth,  but  the  effect  of  these  words 
on  the  mind  of  the  hearer.  When  you  are  talking  with 
your  husband  you  can  estimate  fairly  closely  the  effect 
that  certain  language,  certain  statements,  will  have  on 
him,  the  way  in  which  his  mind  will  react  to  your 
words,  the  meanings  he  will  deduce.  But  when  you 
talk  to  a  child  or  a  stranger  or  a  person  from  an  entirely 
different  walk  of  life  and,  therefore,  different  mode  of 
thought,  you  cannot  so  well  judge  of  the  inferences 
that  will  be  drawn.  By  means  of  language  you  are 
trying  to  convey  certain  notions,  but  if  the  hearer 
miscomprehend  your  language.  Heaven  only  knows 
what  you  may  seem  to  say.  This  does  not  mean  that 
you  should  discourage  the  child's  asking  questions — 
far  from  it.  His  questions  are  the  only  dependable 
guide  to  what  he  is  ready  to  be  taught  and  in  your 
answers  should  be  embodied  not  only  the  larger  features 
of  his  present  instruction  but  the  outline  of  his  future 
education;  hence  the  form  they  take,  and  not  the  con- 
text, is  of  supreme  importance.  There  are  times  when 
it  is  more  instructive  to  withhold  knowledge  than  to 
give  it. 

The  aim  of  this  entire  discussion  is  to  emphasize  the 
necessity  for  a  sane  and  fixed  policy  in  dealing  with 
the  children's  questions,  in  order  that  they  may  be  put 
into  the  frame  of  mind  to  accept  instruction  and  profit 
by  it.  In  the  first  place,  check  promptly  any  tendency 
of  the  child  to  question  about  things  that  do  not  con- 
cern him,  as  those  relating  to  grown-up  affairs,  else 


200     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

you  will  have  on  your  hands  that  most  obnoxious  little 
being,  an  improperly  curious  child.  In  the  second  place, 
do  not  confuse  natural  curiosity,  such  as  the  animals 
display,  with  the  desire  for  knowledge.  When  the 
child  asks  questions  which  are  naturally  prompted  by 
his  observations,  ask  yourself  whether  or  not  the  sub- 
ject is  suitable  for  present  instruction.  How  the  water 
goes  through  the  pipes  is  a  suitable  subject,  but  ques- 
tions that  belong  primarily  to  a  course  in  biology  are 
not  suitable.  Use  your  good  judgment  in  deciding  this 
point.  I  merely  allude  to  it  here,  in  order  to  urge  that 
you  do  not  allow  your  judgment  to  be  overridden  by 
the  preachments  of  faddists  who  have  done  irremedia- 
ble harm  by  recommending  matter-of-fact  answers  to 
all  of  childhood's  questioning. 

Do  not  let  children  suffer  disenchantment.  Their 
unwisdom  is  adorable.  It  is  the  natural  and  beautiful 
state  of  the  young  mind  to  be  filled  with  wonder  and 
awe  at  its  surroundings,  to  see  mystery  in  every  leaf 
and  flower  and  cloud  and  star.  Do  not  destroy  this 
faith  with  scientific  explanations  that  do  not  explain, 
but  try  to  give  answers  that  lift  soul  and  mind  heaven- 
ward. Talk  about  the  common  living  forms — worm, 
grasshopper,  spider — in  a  way  that  will  give  children 
wholesome  material  to  ponder  on  and  question  about 
and  lead  them  to  see  mystery  everywhere.  Let  us  sup- 
pose, for  example,  that  it  is  September;  the  swallows 
that  began  to  gather  and  train  in  August  for  their  long 
fight  south,  are  leaving  us;  other  migratory  birds  fol- 
low ;  last  of  all,  the  honking  wild  geese  attract  our  atten- 
tion in  their  V-shaped  flight- formation  as  they  try  to 
find  in  milder  climes  a  refuge  from  the  cold  northern 
blasts.    How  do  they  know?    Who  taught  them?    In- 


Religious  Education  201 

stinct,  if  you  please,  but  what  is  instinct?  If  you  simply 
tell  your  children  that  the  all-kind  Creator  guides  them, 
through  their  parents,  they  will  understand  that  and 
accept  it  readily.  The  fascination  that  living  nature 
has  for  the  unspoiled  child  opens  a  ready  road  to  rev- 
erence and  humility,  the  ordinary  observable  happen- 
ings furnishing  the  best  of  texts.  The  moment  of 
intense  interest  is  the  time  to  impress  a  lifelong  lesson. 
Best  of  all  subjects  is  the  new  baby.  Where  did  he 
come  from  ?  God  sent  him  here,  a  new  white  soul,  to 
learn  to  be  a  good  child,  a  good  man,  to  go  to  school 
in  this  world  so  that  he  may  be  ready  to  serve  God  in 
the  next  world.  Then  follow  many  little  talks  on  the 
heavenly  home,  the  dear  little  soul  and  the  weak  little 
body  that  must  be  so  carefully  guarded  and  cherished. 
When  it  comes  to  questions  about  that  road  from 
heaven  to  earth,  answer  him  as  you  will  have  answered 
him  a  thousand  times  before :  that  he  is  not  old  enough 
to  understand,  that  grown  people  know  something 
about  it  but  not  everything,  and  that  only  in  the  next 
world  shall  we  have  all  our  questions  answered. 

As  for  Death,  do  not  speak  of  it  as  nothingness,  but 
as  life  in  another  sphere  or  form.  Do  not  injudiciously 
suggest  this  subject,  since  there  can  be  no  advantage 
to  a  child  in  hearing  mention  of  birth  and  death  until 
the  mind  is  sufficiently  developed  to  consider  the  possi- 
bility— a  huge  thought — of  any  creature  as  not  exist- 
ing, now  existing,  and  then  passing  on.  Wait  until 
something  in  the  child's  own  experience,  like  the  pass- 
ing of  a  neighbor,  moves  him  to  ask  questions  and  he 
seems  ready  to  be  told  that  we  came  from  a  mysterious 
unknown  and  shall  stay  here  a  little  while,  until  our 
vyprk  is  done  and  God  calls  us  back.     All  this  is  so 


202     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

wonderful,  and  every  thought  in  connection  with  it  so 
full  of  awful  possibilities,  that  it  is  all-important  to 
touch  on  it  with  the  greatest  reverence  and  only  at  the 
proper  moment. 

There  is  no  need  to  dwell  on  the  earthy,  physical 
side  of  this  change ;  indeed,  every  effort  should  be  made 
to  have  children  think  only  of  the  spirit*s  departure 
for  its  Father's  home,  accompanied  not  at  all  by  his 
wealth  or  poverty,  joys  or  woes,  but  only  by  his  works. 
Do  not  allow  children  to  grow  morbid  on  the  subject 
of  death,  but  at  the  same  time,  in  the  presence  of  a 
soul's  departure  for  the  shores  of  eternity,  or  even  the 
discussion  of  it,  the  very  least  that  common  decency 
demands  is  a  serious  and  respectful  attitude. 

Teach  children  to  value  life.  Do  not  allow  them 
to  pick  a  flower  merely  to  tear  it  in  pieces,  but  teach 
them  that  if  they  pluck  even  a  daisy  it  should  be  put 
into  water  and  properly  cared  for,  that  life  is  far  too 
beautiful  and  too  sacred  for  mere  destruction.  Again 
and  again  impress  upon  them  how  easy  it  is  to  destroy 
and  how  impossible  to  revive. 

Children  are  naturally  eager  to  learn  the  why  and 
wherefore  of  living  phenomena  that  come  to  their  atten- 
tion, and  when  such  knowledge  is  given  too  soon  and 
too  directly  in  so  many  words — for  words  often  ob- 
scure truth — it  is  not  beneficial. 

There  are  two  principal  branches  of  instruction 
suited  to  preparing  the  child  mind  for  a  wholesome 
knowledge  of  physical  processes.  One  is  nature  study, 
continued  throughout  the  seasons,  from  year  to  year, 
filling  the  mind  with  lovely  thoughts,  notions  of  God's 
marvelous  power,  eagerness  for  knowledge  for  its  own 
dear  sake.    The  other  is  religious  teaching,  lifting  up 


Religious  Education  203 

and  bearing  along  all  other  instruction.  A  beautiful 
sunset — God  made  it ;  a  fine  tree — our  Heavenly  Father 
made  it  grow ;  a  bird — God  made  it  and  taught  it  how 
to  build  its  nest  and  how  to  sing;  a  worm  in  the  path- 
way— God  made  that  worm  and  gave  it  life.  Jane 
Elizabeth  could  crush  it  with  her  little  foot,  and  the 
wisest  man  that  ever  lived  could  not  bring  it  to  life 
again. 

Now,  continuing  these  two  branches  of  instruction 
side  by  side,  your  children  become  imbued  with  a  feel- 
ing of  awe  and  reverence  for  the  power  of  God,  until 
they  see  His  hand  in  all  things,  whether  they  can  under- 
stand it  or  not.  They  will  grow  in  beauty  of  character, 
in  the  love  of  knowledge,  in  humility  of  spirit,  in 
respect  for  authority.  They  are  then  teachable.  In 
their  souls  are  growing  those  lovely  things  quite  beyond 
the  reach  of  intellect,  things  that  cannot  be  gauged 
according  to  the  measurement  of  solids.  In  their  minds 
is  developing  a  standard  whereby  they  will  be  enabled 
not  only  to  measure  others,  but  to  measure  self.  That 
training  would  be  of  little  worth  that  did  not  engender 
in  the  child's  mind  just  and  fair  self-criticism,  yet 
"Know  thyself*  is  out  of  the  question  unless  one  is 
prepared  to  make  clear-eyed  comparisons  with  what  is 
outside  and  beyond  self. 


CHAPTER  XI 

MORALS   AND   MANNERS 

Thu.  closing  gong  had  rung  in  one  of  our  great 
department  stores,  and  moving  heedlessly  in  the  gen- 
eral direction  of  outdoors  I  walked  through  an  exit 
marked  "Employees  Only,"  to  find  myself  in  the  polite 
but  determined  grasp  of  uniformed  men,  who  pro- 
ceeded to  examine  my  possessions  with  a  minuteness 
more  scientific  than  flattering.  When  they  had  satis- 
fied themselves  that  my  packages  had  been  obtained  in 
the  conventional  way  my  captors  permitted  me  to  move 
on,  while  they  subjected  to  a  similar  examination  the 
long  line  of  waiting  employees  behind  me.  Knowing 
the  manager  of  the  store,  I  asked  him  whether  they 
were  really  compelled  to  take  for  granted  the  dishonesty 
of  a  majority  of  their  employees.  He  replied  in  the 
affirmative,  adding:  "The  surprising  thing  to  me  is 
that  it  is  not  the  boys  and  girls  from  the  neediest  homes 
who  give  the  most  trouble,  but  those  in  fairly  good 
circumstances,  whose  parents  have  asked  us  to  employ 
them  mainly  to  give  them  business  training.  Of  course 
it  all  goes  back  to  the  way  they  have  been  brought  up." 

Let  us  glance  at  a  too  common  instance  of  upbring- 
ing, such  as  might  rather  be  called  a  "jerking  up." 
Two  children  from  the  nearby  summer  hotel  stopped  in 
front  of  our  house  and  began  plucking  the  roses  that 
peeped  over  the  fence.  Their  mother,  though  only  a 
few  feet  away,  paid  no  attention  until  she  realized  that 
they  were  observed,  whereupon  she  turned  on  the  chil- 

204 


Morals  and  Manners  205 

dren  and  reprimanded  them  sharply,  exclaiming, 
"Naughty  little  girls,  to  take  flowers  that  did  not  be- 
long to  them,"  and  so  on,  until  they  passed  beyond  our 
hearing. 

The  six-year-old  son  of  a  wealthy  woman  makes  a 
practice  of  foraging  the  neighborhood  for  the  posses- 
sions of  other  children,  bringing  home  anything  port- 
able that  strikes  his  fancy.  Not  a  day  passes  but  the 
mother  is  under  the  necessity  of  restoring  a  stolen 
wagon  or  tricycle  or  toy  gun.  Once  or  twice  she  has 
tried  to  make  him  take  back  the  things  he  has  appro- 
priated, but  he  has  refused,  so  she  sends  a  servant  or 
goes  herself.  In  deep  mortification  she  makes  apolo- 
gies and  restitution  and  wonders  what  is  going  to 
become  of  her  boy. 

Here  is  a  different  story:  One  morning  seventy 
years  ago  a  little  girl  living  among  the  mountains  went 
with  her  mother  to  a  neighbor's  cabin  across  the  nar- 
row valley.  While  the  women  chatted  the  child  played 
in  the  yard,  digging  wells  and  making  dams  with  a 
wonderful  tool  that  seemed  to  have  been  made  ex- 
pressly for  her  needs,  a  fluting-iron,  with  which  Granny 
Wilson  used  to  curl  the  ruffle  of  her  white  starched 
caps.  When  it  was  time  to  go  home  it  was  out  of  the 
question  for  the  five-year-old  to  relinquish  the  won- 
derful toy,  yet  her  natural  intelligence  impelled  her  to 
keep  it  under  her  apron  out  of  her  mother's  sight.  No 
sooner,  however,  had  the  child  started  engineering 
operations  in  the  home  yard  than  the  misdeed  was  dis- 
covered. The  mother  acted  promptly,  without  any 
judicial  palaver.  "Sarah,  you  have  taken  what  does 
not  belong  to  you.  Get  ready  and  carry  that  fluting- 
iron  straight  back  to  Granny  Wilson."     Sarah  stub- 


2o6     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

bornly  refused  to  go,  whereupon  her  mother  broke  a 
flexible  twig  from  the  big  birch  and  switched  the  little 
legs.  Not  only  that,  but  she  walked  behind  the  child 
the  entire  way  to  Granny  Wilson's,  still  using  the 
switch  when  the  culprit  lagged,  and  there  was  no  rest 
until  the  fluting-iron  had  been  placed  by  the  child  in 
the  owner's  hand. 

Never  again  did  Sarah  need  correction  on  that  score, 
and  to-day  she  has  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  her  own 
well-trained  children  occupying  high  places  and  re- 
spected even  beyond  the  boundaries  of  their  native  state 
for  their  inflexible  honesty  and  well-tried  courage. 
Now,  it  was  not  merely  a  whipping  that  taught  Sarah 
her  great  lesson.  That  alone  would  not  have  sufficed, 
but  the  needed  switching  was  given  to  enforce  obedience 
and  to  convey  understanding  where  words  would  have 
failed.  The  effectiveness  of  her  punishment  lay  in 
the  fact  that  she  was  not  permitted  to  reap  pleasure  or 
profit  from  the  misdeed;  that  there  was  no  misunder- 
standing in  her  mind  as  to  why  she  was  punished ;  that 
chastisement  was  prompt,  enabling  her  to  see  and  real- 
ize that  a  certain  cause  produced  a  certain  effect.  Had 
the  mother  depended  upon  reasoning  with  so  young  a 
child,  she  would  have  failed  utterly,  for  it  is  not  in  the 
power  of  language  to  convey  to  such  an  immature 
mind  a  clear  distinction  between  right  and  wrong,  ex- 
cept that  to  the  parents  certain  things  are  pleasing  and 
others  displeasing.  The  cleverest  kind  of  sermon  on 
honesty  still  leaves  the  child  of  five  or  six  fairly  satis- 
fied that  the  main  objection  to  stealing  lies  in  being 
found  out. 

When  Sarah's  son  was  eight  years  old  his  mother 
discovered  that  he  was  taking  small  coins  from  her 


Morals  and  Manners  207 

purse  to  buy  chewing  gum  for  his  little  "gang.'*  In- 
stead of  locking  up  the  purse  she  set  about  teaching  him 
to  resist  temptation.  She  did  not  whip  him  or  humili- 
ate him  before  the  family;  indeed,  she  did  not  even 
allow  the  household  to  know  of  the  peccadillo,  but  she 
explained  to  him  the  wickedness  of  stealing,  the  low 
regard  in  which  a  dishonest  person  is  held,  the  impos- 
sibility of  continuing  such  a  course  without  discovery, 
the  difficulty  of  regaining  a  good  name  when  once  it 
has  been  besmirched,  the  certain  punishment  awaiting 
those  so  unfortunate  as  to  form  the  habit  of  theft. 
Inasmuch  as  the  child's  entire  home  environment  was 
one  of  uncompromising  honesty  and  open  dealing,  this 
talk  was  enough,  and  he  never  again  transgressed. 

The  mapping  out  of  the  human  mind  in  its  relation 
to  right  and  wrong  is  no  easy  task.  However,  the 
mother  need  not  concern  herself  with  the  lengthier 
disquisitions  of  the  moralists.  She  need  only  establish 
a  certain  few  relationships  of  the  plainer  sort,  which 
are,  that  the  soul  is  the  center  from  which  all  education 
should  proceed;  that  morals  are  religion  in  everyday 
affairs,  and  that  the  relation  between  morals  and  man- 
ners is  very  close.  Conscience  is  that  practical  judg- 
ment in  our  nature  by  which  we  recognize  the  differ- 
ence between  rightness  and  wrongness.  It  not  only 
warns  us  against  wrong  but  is  a  force  to  make  us  do 
right.  We  are  not  born  with  a  fully  developed  con- 
science. It  follows  upon  religious  instruction  and  dis- 
cipline and  develops  as  do  the  deeper  feelings  and  the 
power  of  thinking,  strengthening  with  the  habits 
imparted  by  steady  restraint,  exercised  first  from  with- 
out and  later  from  within. 

It  is  the  parents'  task  to  control  the  child's  acts  and 


2o8     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

direct  his  thoughts  until  he  acquires  a  measure  of  self- 
direction  and  judgment.  He  soon  learns  that  no  wrong 
can  be  committed  without  bringing  its  own  punish- 
ment. Thus  the  habit  of  avoiding  what  is  forbidden 
is  gradually  formed  and  thereby  the  sense  of  law  is 
acquired.  The  child  is  ready  to  be  educated  on  this 
basis  to  a  sense  of  moral  obligation,  for  when  the 
reasoning  powers  reach  maturity  the  individual  sees 
why  restrictions  have  been  imposed ;  he  recognizes  that 
our  conduct  is  the  most  serious  thing  we  have  to  attend 
to;  the  idea  of  duty  seems  natural  because  habitual; 
and  the  older  he  grows  the  more  ready  he  is  to  behave 
rightly  of  his  free  will  and  apart  from  the  fear  of 
punishment.  Morals  grounded  on  compulsion  thus 
become  morals  grounded  on  self -approval.  Parental 
control  is  only  a  means  to  engender  self-control;  if  it 
does  not  do  this,  it  fails.  We  must  all  make  our  own 
mistakes,  and  even  children  must  be  given  latitude  to 
get  into  trouble,  to  find  out  for  themselves  by  deterring 
experience  many,  many  things. 

Temptation  is  a  valuable  part  of  moral  training,  since 
virtue  is  not  merely  passive  goodness,  but  strength  in 
goodness.  However,  the  temptations  permitted  to 
childhood  should  be  only  sufficient  to  strengthen  its 
powers  of  resistance  and  not  to  overcome  them.  For 
example,  instead  of  putting  everything  out  of  a  child's 
reach,  train  him  not  to  meddle  with  forbidden  things. 
Arouse  his  pride  in  overcoming  temptations  such  as 
that  to  take  cake  or  candy  left  within  reach,  showing 
him  that  he  makes  himself  stronger  each  time  he 
chooses  good  and  avoids  evil  when  it  is  hard  to  do  so, 
and  that  in  this  way  he  trains  his  will  to  overcome 
desire ;  but  when  the  child's  will  is  weakened  by  hunger, 


Morals  and  Manners  209 

these  temptations  are  unreasonably  great.  Instil  a 
wholesome  respect  for  the  difference  between  **mine'* 
and  "thine."  Do  not  allow  a  child  to  borrow  even  a 
pencil  without  the  owner's  permission,  but  give  him  a 
pencil  of  his  own.  Do  not  be  overconfident  that  unde- 
veloped powers  of  resistance  will  be  greater  tlian  a 
child's  restless  energy. 

What  is  truth?  Truth  is  seeing  things  as  they  are 
and  describing  exactly  what  is  seen.  What  is  a  lie? 
"A  lie,"  says  Webster,  *'is  an  intentional  statement  of 
an  untruth  designed  to  mislead  another."  Most  moth- 
ers want  their  children  to  be  above  all  things  truthful, 
yet  so  many  of  them  seem  to  stumble  on  all  the  twenty 
different  ways  of  making  children  liars,  and  so  few 
find  the  one  way  to  make  them  truthful,  that  the  suc- 
cessful ones  are  indeed  to  be  congratulated.  The  right 
way  is  simple,  but  not  necessarily  easy.  The  first 
essential  is  such  a  knowledge  of  human  nature  as  one 
gets  by  close  and  loving  observation  of  children,  the 
next,  patience  and  perseverance  in  applying  this 
knowledge. 

To  the  mother  who  tells  me :  "I  am  in  despair  because 
my  boy  of  six  tells  me  outrageous  lies.  I  scold  him 
and  punish  him  but  it  seems  to  do  no  good."  I  reply, 
"Do  not  get  excited  because  a  young  child  attempts 
to  lie  outrageously.  There  is  more  ground  for  worry 
when  youngsters  do  not  stretch  the  truth,  for  only  by 
erring  from  the  way  of  truth  can  they  learn  to  keep  it. 
Do  not  worry,  or  hope  to  overcome  lying  by  sermon- 
izing. Do  not  imagine  you  can  beat  truthfulness  into 
a  child,  but  deal  with  the  fault  so  that  it  may  be  com- 
pletely overcome  during  the  years  of  childhood." 

On  the  other  hand,  how  often  does  one  hear  a  young 


2IO     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

mother  boast:  "My  child  is  naturally  truthful.  Al- 
though he  is  only  five,  I  have  taught  him  the  wicked- 
ness of  lying  and  have  helped  him  to  harness  his 
imagination  so  that  there  is  no  fear  of  trouble  with 
him  on  that  score."  To  such  a  mother  I  make  answer : 
"Have  patience,  your  child  has  not  yet  learned  to  lie. 
The  enticing,  momentary  advantage  of  lying  has  not 
yet  dawned  on  him.  Young  human  beings  are  prone 
to  be  untruthful,  and  you  will  yet  have  to  deal  with  an 
epidemic  of  lying,  which  is  as  inevitable  as  teething. 
As  soon  as  the  child  reasons  farther  he  will  begin  to 
reason  out  things  as  he  wants  them,  and  if  by  a  mere 
matter  of  word-painting  he  can  bring  such  things  to 
pass,  be  very  sure  that  he  will  not  shy  at  the  most  con- 
venient way  of  gaining  his  ends.  Be  ready  to  meet 
this.  Turn  it  into  a  phase  of  moral  and  mental  growth 
that  passes  without  leaving  scars.  Never  let  him  think 
that  he  has  fooled  you,  or  allow  him  to  gain  anything 
by  untruthfulness  or  deceit.  Still,  you  will  scarcely 
effect  a  radical  cure  of  this  habit  before  he  is  about 
ten  years  old,  when  he  should  have  found  out  that 
lying  does  not  pay,  and  when  the  moral  sense  will  also 
have  begun  to  help." 

Now  do  not  infer  from  this  that  I  am  one  of  those 
materialistic  persons  who  believes  that  goodness  grows 
out  of  necessity.  Far  from  it.  But  truthtelling  has 
two  sides,  first,  the  ability  to  gather  impressions  cor- 
rectly and  to  state  clearly  and  exactly  what  can  be  said 
about  them;  second,  cultivated  control  of  self  in  stating 
facts  without  addition  or  omission,  even  though  to 
personal  disadvantage.  Even  before  there  is  actual 
lying,  fight  the  temptation  to  lie  with  several  weapons : 
Religious  instruction  and  discipline;  observation  les- 


Morals  and  Manners  211 

sons  that  enable  the  child  to  see  things  exactly  as  they 
are ;  language  lessons  that  enable  him  to  describe  things 
exactly  as  they  are  seen;  moral  lessons  that  show  the 
ugliness  as  well  as  the  futility  of  lying,  the  great  value 
of  honesty,  the  beauty  of  truth;  stories  and  talks  that 
foster  the  idea  of  resisting  temptation. 

Children  love  to  play  with  words  as  they  do  with 
toys,  experimenting,  learning  their  possibilities.  Some 
of  their  lies  are  playful;  some  are  told  to  tease;  some 
are  imitative;  some  day-dreaming;  some  for  expedi- 
ency. Sometimes  the  regrettable  multitude  of  untruths 
that  distress  the  mother  are  the  outgrowth  of  timidity, 
or  an  unconscious  acknowledgment  of  failure,  or  a 
symptom  of  lack  of  self-control.  The  child,  of  course, 
exaggerates ;  he  sees  the  whole  world  in  an  exaggerated 
aspect.  He  cannot  tell  things  exactly  as  they  are,  for 
he  has  no  exact  knowledge  to  start  with,  since  without 
careful  and  prolonged  training  in  close  observation  and 
accurate  description,  it  is  impossible  to  see  things  as 
they  are  and  to  describe  what  we  see.  Such  training 
and  practice  given  regularly  from  the  age  of  three  on- 
ward supply  the  child  with  the  tools  of  accuracy,  which 
is  the  twin  brother  of  honesty.  But  how  make  certain 
that  he  will  use  these  tools?  By  religious  and  moral 
training  for  that  purpose,  given  carefully  from  the  age 
of  six  or  seven  onward.  The  child  needs  the  prop  of 
knowing  that  we  cannot  deceive  God  and  that  our  great 
enemy  is  the  Father  of  Lies,  who  will  pay  in  his  own 
coin  those  who  work  for  him. 

These  suggestions  will  be  useful  only  to  parents 
who  set  their  children  a  good  example,  whose  hearts 
as  well  as  tongues  are  above  untruth.  You  cannot 
fool  children  in  this  respect.    You  cannot  be  one  thing 


212     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

and  teach  another.  They  will  detect  you  in  genteel 
lying,  politic  lying,  economic  lying,  much  more  quickly 
than  does  your  grown-up  neighbor.  There  is  no  earthly 
use  in  talking  to  a  child  about  truthtelling  if  you  lie 
to  him  or  for  him  or  about  him.  There  are  even 
parents  who  will  teach  a  child  to  lie  for  their  own  con- 
venience, thus  doing  him  a  thousand  times  the  harm 
that  would  come  through  ordinary  untaught  lying.  A 
child  that  imagines  his  mother  does  not  know  anything 
about  lying,  and  who  has  never  detected  her  in  an 
exaggeration,  will  probably  look  on  lying  as  so  wicked 
and  abominable  that  he  will  keep  to  the  narrow  path  of 
truth. 

Many  parents  lie  to  their  children  in  order  to  secure 
temporary  obedience.  "If  you  don't  stop  crying  the 
policeman  will  come  and  take  you,"  is  a  not  uncommon 
threat,  which  after  a  few  repetitions  grows  thread- 
bare, whereupon  the  mother  goes  still  further,  even  pre- 
tending to  telephone  for  the  police  to  come  and  get  the 
naughty  five-year-old.  I  have  known  strict  church- 
goers to  do  this  very  awful  thing.  If  you  make  threats 
that  you  cannot  or  will  not  enforce,  even  the  youngest 
child  will  soon  learn  to  apply  the  short  and  ugly  word 
to  your  weakness.  Your  ''must"  should  invariably 
mean  "must." 

Many  parents  make  truthtelling  difficult  for  children 
by  condoning  misstatements  at  one  time  and  attempting 
on  another  occasion  to  correct  the  fault.  David  assures 
his  mother  that  he  has  performed  his  regular  task  of 
sweeping  the  porch.  Investigation  shows  that  he  has 
not  removed  the  rocker  or  disturbed  the  rug,  but  the 
mother  has  time  to  spare  and  is  in  a  good  temper,  so 
she  smilingly  tells  him  to  do  better  next  time  and  her- 


Morals  and  Manners  213 

self  finishes  up  while  David  goes  to  play.  The  next 
time  he  tells  her  that  he  has  swept  the  porch,  she  is 
busy,  and  company  comes  and  finds  the  porch  is  un- 
swept.  Her  pride  is  hurt  and  she  punishes  David  for 
an  untruth,  the  fault  of  which,  in  this  instance,  is  wholly 
her  own. 

Too  many  parents  try  to  differentiate  between  lying 
and  evasions,  between  speaking  an  untruth  and  keep- 
ing silence  where  rightness  demands  speech.  This  is 
fatal.  The  one  question  to  decide  is :  Was  there  intent 
to  deceive?  Too  many  parents  countenance  trickery 
among  children,  cheating  each  other  in  trifles,  and 
even  look  on  it  as  a  sign  of  very  promising  genius. 
This  will  betray  the  children  into  thievery  as  well  as 
lying  in  their  riper  years. 

As  soon  as  children  know  what  lying  means,  it  is 
highly  necessary  that  they  should  be  made  sensible  of 
the  scandal  of  telling  a  lie,  but  I  would  not  have  a  child 
know  a  day  earlier  than  necessary  that  there  is  such  a 
thing  in  the  world  as  lying.  The  less  talking  about 
badness  and  wickedness  the  better,  for  while  a  young 
child  may  appear  to  know  the  difference,  he  does  not 
and  will  only  become  confused  by  well-meant  explana- 
tions beyond  his  understanding.  But  when  he  has 
learned  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  untruthfulness, 
make  it  abhorrent  to  him,  make  truth  beautiful,  and 
continue  the  training  in  observation. 

Talk  mainly  about  truth  and  be  wary  about  men- 
tioning lying.  In  undertaking  to  teach  a  young  child 
the  wickedness  of  deceit,  you  give  him  a  lesson  in  that 
art  and  science  that  might  otherwise  have  been  deferred 
for  a  year  or  two.  Many  a  child  finds  out  for  the  first 
time  that  there  are  lies  by  being  told  not  to  tell  them. 


214     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

Natural  inquisitiveness  does  the  rest.  A  little  fellow 
rushed  in  one  day  in  terror  and  told  his  mother  that 
the  devil  was  sitting  on  a  beam  in  the  barn.  Investi- 
gation showed  that  the  foul  fiend  of  his  childish  fright 
was  a  barn-owl,  blinking  down  on  him  when  he  had 
run  to  the  barn  for  refuge  from  the  consequences  of 
a  naughtiness.  If  the  mother  had  been  so  tactless  as 
to  accuse  him  then  and  there  of  lying,  defining  and 
illustrating  lies  so  that  the  idea  would  be  really  fixed  in 
his  mind,  arousing  sufficient  interest  in  her  subject  to 
make  any  kind  of  impression,  her  lecture  would  have 
held  all  the  interest  of  a  fairy  story  for  him,  and  he 
would  forthwith  have  furnished  her  with  all  the  neces- 
sary material  for  a  course  of  lectures. 

Avoid  as  far  as  possible  everything  that  might  tempt 
a  young  child  to  prevaricate.  Only  when  urgent  cir- 
cumstances demand  it,  ask  him  whether  he  has  done 
a  thing  or  not.  This  in  most  cases  is  a  useless  ques- 
tion, because  it  is  the  natural  thing  for  a  young  child 
to  say  that  which  in  his  opinion  will  please  you  and 
exonerate  himself.  If  you  ask  a  pupil  whether  he 
understands  a  thing  he  will  say  yes,  if  you  ask  your 
child  whether  he  did  a  naughty  thing  he  will  naturally 
say  no.  When  you  suspect  a  child  of  having  done 
something  naughty,  use  your  own  ingenuity  to  satisfy 
yourself  as  to  his  culpability,  and  if  you  find  him  guilty, 
judge  him  and  reprimand  or  punish  him  if  he  deserves 
it.  To  a  child  of  four  or  five,  punishment  should  not 
be  meted  out  for  any  transgression  except  direct  diso- 
bedience to  his  parents'  clearly  given  and  thoroughly 
understood  commands.  If,  knowing  that  he  has  done 
a  thing,  you  ask  him  whether  he  did  it  or  not,  you  are 
courting  trouble,  and  in  addition  to  disobedience  will 


Morals  and  Manners  215 

have  such  difficuhies  to  face  as  untruthfulness,  dissim- 
ulation, and  hypocrisy. 

Train  the  child  to  recognize  and  admit  his  mistakes 
instead  of  condoning  them.  Both  in  school  and  at 
home,  one  hears  such  things  as  this :  ''James,  you  have 
not  spelled  that  word  correctly."  "Oh,  just  a  *t'  too 
many,"  answers  James,  who  has  written  latter  for 
later.  Hs  is  trying  to  cloak  his  mistake  with  a  pre- 
varication, to  avoid  admitting  that  a  mistake  was  made. 
Do  not  allow  this  to  pass.  To  recognize  error  and 
acknowledge  it  is  a  cornerstone  of  wisdom.  Once  the 
unwillingness  to  admit  oneself  in  the  wrong  has  taken 
root  it  is  very  difficult  to  eradicate. 

A  word  as  to  the  make-believe  of  a  lively,  imagina- 
tive child  mind,  the  feignings  or  inventions  uttered 
with  no  intent  to  deceive.  Imagination  is  a  gift  with- 
out which  we  were  poorer  than  the  dullest  clod.  Be- 
ware of  destroying  or  crippling  it,  calling  it  lying. 
Attend  to  other  phases  of  discipline,  but  interfere  little 
with  harmless  imaginings.  Meet  the  wild  fanciful 
tale  with  a  smile  of  sympathetic  understanding,  which 
neither  approves  nor  disapproves.  You  need  not  even 
say:  "But  Elsie  knows  that  she  is  just  pretending?" 
and  insist  upon  the  child's  reassuring  you  on  this  point. 
There  is  absolutely  no  relation  between  this  make- 
believe  and  lying  unless  you  establish  the  relationship 
by  talking  about  it. 

To  return  to  lying:  Instead  of  calling  an  exaggera- 
tion an  untruth,  lead  the  child  by  questioning  to  see 
its  inaccuracy,  just  as  you  would  correct  any  other 
fault  or  reprove  an  ill-done  task,  just  as  you  would 
follow  him  up  to  indicate  the  half -swept  corner  of  the 
porch  or  the  badly  dusted  chair  and  make  him  do  it 


2i6     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

exactly  right.  Teach  your  child  to  deliver  a  message 
exactly  as  it  is  given  to  him.  Make  him  repeat  it  to 
you  until  he  does  it  correctly,  for  precision  even  in  this 
small  degree  will  help  to  offset  the  natural  tendency  to 
exaggeration,  boasting,  and  other  distortion  of  facts. 
Teach  children  not  to  tell  as  news  anything  of  whose 
truth  they  are  not  sure.  Teach  them  not  to  embellish 
the  news  they  relate,  not  to  speak  rashly  or  without  a 
piirpose,  and  not  to  retail  empty  nonsense.  Make  them 
keep  silence  regarding  what  they  do  not  understand. 
Make  the  child  tell  what  he  really  hears  and  sees,  not 
what  he  imagines  or  fancies;  make  him  repeat  things 
without  adding  or  omitting;  make  him  answer  all 
questions  to  the  point,  without  prevarication  or  beating 
about  the  bush.  If  a  question  is  asked  in  the  present 
tense,  insist  on  the  answer  being  given  in  the  present 
tense. 

Awaken  the  child's  conscience  by  telling  him  that 
every  lie  is  known  to  God  and  is  shunned  and  detested 
by  all  God-fearing  men.  Make  him  repeat  often  the 
Commandment:  *'Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness 
against  thy  neighbor,"  and  such  maxims  as:  "Sin  has 
a  great  many  tools,  but  a  lie  is  a  handle  that  fits  them 
all";  "He  who  tells  one  lie  must  tell  nine  to  cover  it 
up."  Let  him  overhear  conversations  in  which  a  hor- 
ror of  the  lie  is  expressed.  This  is  more  effective  when 
done  indirectly,  for  if  grown  persons  abhor  a  liar, 
children  absorb  the  feeling.  However,  even  with  the 
feeling  of  horror  towards  a  lie,  children  will  be  strictly 
truthful  only  if  they  get  daily  and  hourly  training  to 
form  the  habit  of  truth. 

Train  children  not  to  make  rash  promises.  A  child 
should  not  make  promises,  nor  has  a  grown  person  any 


Morals  and  Manners  217 

right  to  extract  them  from  a  child.  Do  not  make  chil- 
dren apologize  as  a  punishment,  nor  promise  to  be  good 
and  not  to  repeat  the  oflFense,  for  pledges  of  various 
kinds,  whether  in  the  name  of  religion,  patriotism, 
charity,  obedience,  or  honor,  constitute  a  training  in 
easy  lying  and  should  not  be  countenanced.  Children 
have  not  the  stamina  to  keep  a  promise.  They  break 
it,  and  learn  how  easy  it  is  to  break  it,  and  there  is 
thus  formed  the  contemptible  habit  of  breaking  his 
word  before  the  child  is  old  enough  to  realize  its 
sacredness. 

Even  more  objectionable  is  it  to  tell  things  to  a 
child  under  his  promise  of  secrecy.  Such  matters  as 
are  usually  imparted  to  a  child  in  this  way  are  in  any 
case  unsuited  to  his  years  and  should  be  strictly  kept 
from  his  knowledge.  The  objection  is  not  alone  to  the 
unfairness  of  burdening  him  with  a  temptation  too 
great  for  most  grown  people,  but  that  the  heart  of  a 
child  should  be  open  to  floods  of  sunshine.  There 
should  by  right  be  no  dark  corners  in  it.  Plant  secrecy 
and  you  plant  an  ugly  furtiveness  that  can  never  be 
entirely  uprooted. 

Good  manners  come  from  well-established,  gener- 
ally-recognized good  habits,  both  of  which  are  impos- 
sible without  habitual  self-control.  Good  manners  sit 
easy  and  seem  natural  where  mind  and  body  are  under 
self -direction,  but  without  this  precious  accomplish- 
ment they  seem  affected  and  inharmonious.  A  well- 
educated  child  is  always  a  good-mannered  child.  As  I 
wrote  this  my  eye  fell  on  a  sentence  in  the  evening 
paper:  "The  whole  world  opens  its  arms  to  the  boy 
with  good  manners."  Back  of  good  manners  is  the 
great  rule  of  humanity,  to  do  to  others  as  we  would 


2i8     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

have  them  do  to  us,  which  calls  for  occasional  self-sac- 
rifice for  the  sake  of  others.  Turned  into  simple  verse, 
a  child  of  five  will  learn  and  love  this  rule : 

"I  do  to  others  as  I  would 

That  they  should  do  to  me ; 
*Twill  make  me  honest,  kind,  and  good, 
As  every  child  should  be." 

Make  the  child  practice  this.  Teach  him  to  address 
or  to  answer  questions  in  a  way  that  shows  respectful 
consideration  for  others,  especially  his  elders.  Make 
him  come  to  you  and  speak,  but  if  without  any  good 
reason  he  should  attempt  to  shout  to  you,  ask  him  half- 
reprovingly:  "Who  has  hurt  you?  Who  is  threaten- 
ing you?"  so  that  he  may  realize  the  impropriety  of  his 
conduct.  Make  the  child  offer  his  chair  to  an  older 
person  standing ;  knock  before  entering  a  room ;  answer 
the  question  **Who  is  there?"  by  giving  his  name,  not 
saying  "Me."  From  such  little  things  spring  good 
habits  which  finally  develop  into  virtues.  Check  what- 
ever offends  or  annoys  others  or  tends  towards  ill- 
breeding  or  roughness.  Strike  out  each  undesirable 
characteristic  the  moment  it  appears.  When  children 
get  naughty  intervene  at  once.  Little  by  little  you  can 
suppress  all  those  things  that  they  must  not  do.  Sub- 
duing the  manner  subdues  the  fault.  Do  not  allow  a 
child  to  demand  your  attention  when  he  sees  that  it  is 
required  elsewhere,  but  make  him  wait  respectfully 
until  you  are  ready  to  give  ear  to  him. 

When  your  child  is  speaking  to  you  make  him  show 
a  certain  respect  for  you.  He  must  be  polite  and 
respectful    to   you   on   every    single   occasion,    which 


Morals  and  Manners  219 

excludes  every  vestige  of  flippancy.  If  he  comes  into 
the  room  improperly  and  noisily,  send  him  out  at  once 
without  scolding,  and  tell  him  to  come  in  in  a  proper 
manner.  Do  not  let  a  single  such  act  escape  your 
vigilance.  Stop  loud  talking  and  yelling  and  make 
the  child  subdue  his  voice  to  a  proper  pitch  when  in  the 
house.  Let  the  house  rule  him;  do  not  let  him  rule 
the  house.  Do  not  tolerate  any  of  the  children  doing 
things  that  make  older  persons  uncomfortable.  Make 
the  boys  especially  think  of  the  comfort  of  others  at 
all  times,  which  they  will  not  learn  to  do  unless  they 
be  made  to  do  it.  They  will  respect  you  if  you  demand 
respect  from  them. 

Take  account  of  the  influence  that  correctness  of 
bodily  attitude  has,  not  only  on  physical  well-being  and 
beauty,  but  on  morals  and  manners  and  even  the  whole 
mentality.  Decency,  propriety,  health,  all  require  that 
a  child  should  be  accustomed  to  keep  his  whole  body  in 
a  suitable  attitude.  How  to  stand,  walk,  and  sit  prop- 
erly is  as  much  a  part  of  moral  and  intellectual  as  of 
physical  training.  The  animal  period  is  by  no  means 
past  until  the  body  has  learned  to  answer  the  rulings  of 
a  well-ruled  mind.  Space  allows  for  only  a  few  sug- 
gestions here : 

In  standing,  the  feet  should  be  turned  out,  with 
the  heels  a  little  apart.  The  child  should  learn  to 
stand  perfectly  still,  not  shifting  from  one  foot  to  the 
other,  and  when  he  walks  it  should  not  be  either  tiptoe 
or  with  dragging  feet.  When  seated,  keep  the  knees 
not  too  far  apart  or  too  close  together.  To  keep  mov- 
ing the  feet  or  stretching  them  out  is  extremely  ill- 
bred.  Never  allow  the  child  to  sit  crosslegged,  or  to 
slide  down  in  the  chair  and  sit  on  the  end  of  the  spine. 


220     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

for  either  position  creates  a  tension  that  throws  the 
entire  nervous  system  out  of  adjustment,  interferes 
with  the  free  circulation  of  the  blood,  and  may  easily 
lead  to  deformities  of  which  any  good  physician  will 
advise  you.  Make  children  stand  with  well-carried 
shoulders,  without  hanging  the  head  nor  yet  holding 
it  up  in  an  impertinent  way.  Train  them  to  avoid  loll- 
ing, often  changing  place,  swinging  the  feet,  turning 
and  twisting  hands  or  feet,  and  all  such  awkward 
motions.  Train  them  to  hold  the  head  erect  when 
speaking,  and  not  to  answer  a  question  by  a  nod  or 
shake  of  the  head. 

Train  children  to  avoid  putting  the  hand  to  the  head, 
especially  at  the  table.  Teach  them  to  bear  inconven- 
iences without  turning,  scratching,  or  using  gestures, 
not  simply  because  these  acts  may  be  offensive  to  others 
but  because  every  act  of  self-restraint  is  a  step  towards 
self-control.  Make  children  do  things  decently  and  in 
order  long  before  there  is  consciousness  of  the  why. 
The  youngest  child  should  be  taught  to  restrain  eager- 
ness about  being  helped  at  table,  to  avoid  stirring  the 
plate,  beating  the  table,  or  other  signs  of  impatience. 

Children  ought  not  to  share  in  the  conversation  at 
table.  They  should  listen  and  learn,  although  they  nat- 
urally prefer  to  give  what  they  imagine  to  be  their 
opinions.  This  makes  it  hard  for  them  to  learn  in 
school,  where  they  try  to  teach  their  teachers,  which, 
however,  is  a  less  serious  offense  than  that  of  trying 
to  correct  their  parents.  I  suppose  not  one  child  in 
a  thousand  escapes  this  fault.  It  simply  has  to  be 
eliminated  by  constant  watchfulness  and  stern  sup- 
pression. 

When  one  sees  the  poor  returns  sometimes  made  by 


Morals  and  Manners  221 

children  to  the  parents  who  have  loved  them  and 
worked  and  saved  and  sacrificed  for  them,  the  tempta- 
tion to  moralize  on  this  subject  becomes  overpowering. 
After  the  children  have  grown  up  it  is  of  little  use  for 
parents  to  wring  their  hands  and  demand  of  heaven 
an  explanation  of  their  selfishness.  From  their  earliest 
years  children  should  be  taught  to  realize  their  bless- 
ings and  be  thankful  to  those  who  provide  them. 
Gratitude,  like  religion,  patriotism,  and  other  of  the 
fine  things  of  life,  is  a  fair  flower  of  the  heart  that 
must  be  well  rooted  and  tenderly  cultivated  before  we 
can  expect  full  and  fragrant  blossoming.  The  educa- 
tion which  neglects  the  heart  while  cultivating  the  head 
is  no  education  at  all. 

Begin  by  teaching  children  to  come  to  their  parents 
and  thank  them  for  each  meal.  In  this  way  a  natural 
feeling  of  gratitude  is  developed,  and  out  of  it  will 
grow  a  feeling  of  reverence  and  gratitude  towards  God 
for  His  bountiful  gifts.  You  cannot  make  a  child 
thankful  simply  by  telling  him  that  he  ought  to  be 
thankful;  he  must  be  shown  by  example  as  well  as 
word.  I  suggest  this  plan :  Each  child,  as  he  finishes 
the  meal,  should  go  to  the  father,  kiss  him  and  say: 
"Thank  you,  father,  for  a  good  dinner,"  or  whatever 
the  meal  may  be,  then  to  the  mother  and  thank  her 
nicely  also.  Require  the  child  to  speak  distinctly  and 
not  to  mumble,  so  that  this  practice  may  not  degenerate 
into  objectionable  formalism.  Make  them  do  this  as 
many  times  a  day  as  there  are  common  meals,  year  in 
and  year  out.  When  they  meet  father  and  mother  for 
the  first  time  in  the  morning,  let  the  children  kiss  each 
and  say:  "I  wish  you  a  good  morning,  papa,"  or  'T 
wish  you  a  good  morning,  mama."    Such  daily  greet- 


222     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

ings  will  grow  stilted  if  not  respectfully  and  lovingly 
used.  But  even  lip-service,  which  at  heart  implies  good 
manners,  is  preferable  to  the  unmannerly  lack  of  con- 
sideration and  respect  that  too  many  children  flaunt 
in  the  faces  of  their  elders.  Put  such  daily  greetings 
into  practice  and  you  will  find  that  they  will  become  a 
natural  expression  of  loving  respect,  which  will  bring 
into  your  home  a  sweet  atmosphere  of  refinement,  rev- 
erence, and  love,  wherein  the  roots  of  goodness  grow 
strong.  Children  should  be  taught  that  they  cannot 
sufficiently  prove  their  respect  for  their  father  and 
mother,  to  whom  under  God,  they  owe  everything,  and 
they  should  be  accustomed  to  bid  them  good-night 
before  going  to  bed. 

Accustom  children  to  say  grace  at  table.  This  most 
natural  act  of  gratitude,  thanking  God  for  the  repast, 
seems  to  be  regarded  as  old-fashioned  and  unworthy 
of  enlightened  people,  but  even  the  heathens  of  old 
Rome  did  better,  for  they  poured  out  wine  to  the  only 
gods  they  knew.  Call  the  child's  attention  to  the  man- 
ners of  various  domestic  animals.  How  nice  to  give 
the  chickens  water  every  day.  Does  she  notice  how 
they  lift  up  their  heads  to  say  thank  you  every  time 
they  take  a  drink?  The  pigs  think  only  about  them- 
selves and  forget  to  thank  anyone. 

Do  not  miss  the  seed-time  of  this  early  age  for  habits 
of  unselfishness,  which  will  take  many,  many  years  to 
establish,  for  they  are  more  humane  than  human. 
Selfishness  is  as  natural  to  children  as  breathing,  and 
only  motherly  love  and  devotion  can  change  the  natural 
incompleteness  of  human  childhood  into  the  pure  gold 
of  humane  manhood  and  womanhood.  I  tell  you  this 
so  that  you  may  not  be  rudely  disappointed  when  you 


Morals  and  Manners  223 

seem  to  fail  of  attaining  your  end.  Your  patience 
must  be  long-suffering. 

Mothers  sometimes  complain  of  a  lack  of  sympathy 
on  their  children's  part.  Now,  sympathy  means  a  feel- 
ing with  suffering  and  how  can  this  be  known  by  those 
who,  since  they  have  not  suffered,  have  not  had  the 
experience  out  of  which  sympathy  grows?  The  kin- 
dergarten age  is  too  early  to  do  much  towards  arous- 
ing these  feelings.  There  is  indeed  a  distinct  danger 
in  hastening  maturity  of  the  emotions,  which  leads  to 
precocity  and  perhaps  to  a  state  of  mind  where  all  feel- 
ings become  uncontrollable  and  govern  the  will.  The 
emergence  to  a  higher  moral  and  intellectual  state  must 
come  by  degrees  and  slowly.  It  will  come  naturally 
and  genuinely  with  experience  and  right  guidance. 
Develop  sentiment  very  gradually.  Do  not  play  on  the 
child's  emotions,  or  appeal  to  the  feelings  as  a  means 
of  getting  children  to  follow  your  lead. 

The  farther  you  can  put  self  into  the  background, 
and  the  more  you  can  turn  the  child's  thoughts  out- 
ward rather  than  self  ward,  the  more  securely  do  you 
ward  off  evil.  Contrary  to  a  widespread  notion,  it  is 
the  mind,  not  the  body,  that  originates  the  first  prompt- 
ings to  social  misconduct.  If  this  were  fully  realized, 
there  would  be  fewer  instances  of  child-depravity 
directly  chargeable  to  the  parents,  either  through  their 
heedlessness  or  through  well-meant  efforts  to  instruct 
young  children  in  matters  which  belong  to  riper  years. 
The  important  thing  for  the  child  is  to  live  a  healthy 
child  life.  Never  permit  jesting  with  children  on  such 
subjects  as  swains  and  sweethearts. 

On  the  whole,  it  is  better  to  keep  children  away  from 
gatherings  of  grown  people,  even  such  as  the  church 


224     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

sewing  circle,  where  in  order  to  make  themselves  agree- 
able people  take  too  much  notice  of  a  child  and  spoil 
him  by  making  him  self-conscious  and  self -centered. 
Chance  remarks,  not  intended  for  young  ears,  are  often 
made,  which  linger  in  the  child's  mind  and  give  him  a 
distorted  notion  of  things.  When  you  must  go  to 
such  places  leave  him  with  his  grandmother  or  some 
other  trustworthy  person,  but  do  not  indiscriminately 
unburden  yourself  of  him  to  anybody.  Your  duties  to 
your  children  must  unquestionably  take  precedence 
over  any  social  duties. 

Do  not  allow  children  to  make  engagements  with 
other  children  without  first  obtaining  your  consent. 
When  the  child  takes  it  upon  himself  to  invite  com- 
pany or  to  accept  an  invitation  without  first  getting  per- 
mission from  you,  simply  cancel  the  engagement.  This, 
as  you  will  find,  is  by  no  means  an  unnecessary  pre- 
caution. 

If  the  children  in  their  play  are  talking  about  absurd 
things  that  seem  of  an  objectionable  or  harmful  trend, 
tell  them  to  stop  talking  nonsense.  If  you  think  their 
talk  merely  unsuitable  and  out  of  place,  divert  the  con- 
versation, but  if  it  is  simply  innocent,  imaginary  non- 
sense, let  it  go.  Such  fair,  childish  nonsense  can  do  no 
harm,  but  on  the  contrary  is  rather  desirable.  Let 
play  be  play,  and  work  be  work,  each  in  its  proper  place 
and  at  the  proper  time.  If  this  be  their  principle 
through  life  it  will  keep  them  steady  and  make  them 
happy. 

Expect  sensible  behavior.  Do  not  countenance  fool- 
ishness and  hysteria.  The  silly  squealing  and  screech- 
ing of  girls  at  play  should  be  checked,  for  it  is  unneces- 
sary and  leads  to  upset  nerves.    Flippant  trifling  is  not 


Morals  and  Manners  225 

play  and  should  not  be  tolerated.  Noise  outdoors  is 
not  objectionable  except  when  overdone,  but  wild  yell- 
ing is  overdoing  it. 

Suppress  immoderate  anger  and  the  desire  for 
revenge,  otherwise  the  child  becomes  headstrong  and 
unruly,  good  nature  turns  to  ill  humor,  understanding 
and  judgment  are  warped  into  wilfulness  and  prejudice. 
Hate  has  no  place  in  the  heart  of  a  child.  When  it 
becomes  rooted  it  changes  that  heart  into  something 
entirely  different  from  what  the  Creator  made  it  or 
intended  it  to  be. 

There  are  right  and  wrong  ways  of  mixing  up 
religion  with  the  efforts  to  correct  childish  naughtiness. 
I  have  known  a  mother  to  punish  a  three-year-old  by 
making  him  pray  until  he  sees  and  confesses  his 
wrong,  and  then  asks  for  forgiveness.  This  is  not  a 
safe  proceeding.  The  little  child  is  irresponsible,  a 
fact  which  we  cannot  change.  He  has  not  done  wrong 
imless  he  knows  that  he  has  done  wrong,  for  without 
the  knowledge  there  can  be  no  sin.  It  is  the  parents' 
responsibility  to  enforce  right  conduct.  The  child  is 
naughty  when  he  does  something  forbidden  by  the  par- 
ents, and  bad  when  he  offends  God.  This  principle  is 
healthy,  wholesome,  and  sufficient.  But  there  can  be 
no  offense  against  God  without  the  evil  intention,  for 
even  the  civil  law  would  not  pronounce  the  offender 
guilty  unless  evil  intention  could  be  brought  home  to 
him.  The  mother  is  the  one  to  show  him  in  a  few 
words  wherein  he  has  done  wrong,  otherwise  you  make 
the  child  deceive  himself  and  set  him  on  the  road  to 
hypocrisy.  A  young  friend  of  mine  who  persistently 
denied  helping  herself  to  her  sister's  choice  candy  was 
sent  upstairs  to  ''talk  it  over  with  God,"  and  when  she 


226     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

came  down,  instead  of  making  the  usual  confession  of 
wrongdoing,  she  still  maintained  innocence.  This 
troubled  the  mother  so  that  at  bedtime  she  asked  the 
child  what  God  had  said  to  her,  whereupon  Ruth 
replied :  "He  said,  *0f  course  you  know,  Ruthie,  that 
you  took  the  candy,  but  let's  fool  sister  a  while 
longer.'  " 

There  are  many  available  props  that  help  the  child 
to  gain  self-control,  the  best  and  surest  of  which  is  the 
realization  that  God  is  everywhere,  that  He  sees  us  in 
the  night  as  in  the  day,  that  He  reads  our  inmost 
thoughts,  and  that  we  should  be  more  particular  not  to 
displease  Him  than  our  companions. 

By  means  of  symbolical  language  place  before 
the  child  in  a  concrete  way  the  laws  of  religion  and 
morality.  Few  children  can  comprehend  a  statement 
to  the  effect  that  a  good  deed  will  yield  rich  harvests 
in  eternity,  but  tell  them  that  our  deeds  are  written 
down  in  the  Book  of  Life  by  the  Recording  Angel, 
good  deeds  in  letters  of  gold,  bad  deeds  in  black,  good 
deeds  to  the  right,  bad  deeds  to  the  left.  Every  good 
deed  makes  the  Angel  rejoice,  but  when  he  has  to  dip 
his  pen  to  write  in  black,  he  is  sad.  Perhaps  our  sin- 
cere sorrow  will  help  him  to  blot  out  the  record.  Let 
us  strive  so  that  at  the  close  of  each  day  our  good  deeds 
may  outnumber  the  others.  If  we  do  succeed  in  this 
daily,  then  at  the  end  of  life,  when  good  and  bad  are 
weighed  exactly,  our  balance  will  be  on  the  right  side. 
Such  illustrations  appeal  to  a  child.  They  are  under- 
standable, and  offer  something  to  strive  for.  They  are 
near,  not  far,  in  time  and  space,  and  the  child  mind 
can  grasp  them  when  talk  about  character  would  not 
mean  anything. 


Morals  and  Manners  227 

The  voice  of  conscience  could  not  be  better  portrayed 
to  the  child  than  by  telling  him  that  to  know  what  is 
right  we  have  only  to  ask  our  good  angel,  who  will  tell 
us,  and  that  we  have  in  him  a  safe  guide,  who  would 
gladly  conduct  us  in  the  way  that  leads  to  heaven. 
What  a  help  in  temptation  to  recall  that  if  we  yield  our 
good  angel  must  turn  away  his  face  and  weep,  and  that 
if  we  listen  too  often  to  the  tempter,  and  heed  not  the 
guardian  angel's  warning,  he  must  finally  leave  us  alto- 
gether, for  he  cannot  stay  where  sin  is.  Is  it  not  true 
that  the  voice  of  conscience  is  the  safe  guide  and  will 
remain  so  throughout  a  long  life  unless  stilled  by  our 
refusal  to  heed  it? 

It  is  often  possible  to  transmute  self-interest  into 
something  nobler,  a  prop  to  character.  Show  children 
that  unless  we  are  invariably  to  be  relied  upon,  others 
will  not  confide  in  us,  that  a  single  act  of  dishonesty  is 
sufficient  to  give  one  the  reputation  of  being  a  thief  or 
a  liar,  which  cannot  be  offset  by  the  advantages  gained 
through  telling  a  thousand  truths.  Children  of  eight 
or  older  will  be  helped  by  being  told  that  the  human 
face  shows  the  thoughts  within,  that  it  is  possible  to 
read  anybody's  mind  in  the  eye,  the  window  of  the 
soul,  that  a  little  child  comes  from  God  with  a  clean 
white  soul  and  has  the  face  God  gives  him,  but  that 
years  later  he  has  the  face  which  he  gives  himself,  that 
if  wicked  thoughts  occur  often,  wicked  features  are 
the  result.  This  is  one  way  in  which  we  are  punished 
for  wrongdoing,  just  as  Cain  was  marked  on  the  brow. 
This  is  plain  and  simple.  It  helps  the  children  to  con- 
trol themselves,  and  they  still  need  outside  help  in  order 
to  conquer  their  natural  aversion  to  submission  to 
authority. 


228     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

How  many  parents  whose  children  are  not  in  their 
earhest  formative  years,  are  confronted  with  the  pain- 
ful alternative  of  ''letting  things  go,"  or  of  using  dras- 
tic measures  to  overcome  the  results  of  their  own 
negligence,  a  crop  of  bad  habits.  When  such  is  the 
case,  I  dare  not  tell  you  that  you  will  find  it  easy  to 
check  naughty  proclivities,  or  that  the  child  can  be  set 
on  the  right  path  simply  by  persuasion.  To  mend  what 
has  been  neglected  for  years  requires  not  only  the 
mother's  unlimited  patience,  but  almost  superhuman 
will  power.  But  you  need  not  and  must  not  despair, 
for  to  say  that  bad  habits  cannot  be  overcome,  and  that 
efforts  towards  improvement  are  hopeless,  would  be  to 
deny  the  goodness  of  God.  Only  when  bad  habits  have 
persisted  for  years,  it  requires  the  cooperation  of  the 
victim  to  root  them  out  and  supplant  them  with  good. 
Those  who  succeed  in  overcoming  their  bad  habits  do 
so,  not  solely  by  an  effort  of  will,  but  by  repeatedly  sub- 
stituting a  good  act  for  a  bad  inclination,  step  by  step 
driving  out  habit  with  habit.  There  must  first  be  some 
influence  strong  enough  to  make  a  brisk  commence- 
ment and  to  keep  up  the  new  line  of  conduct  for  a 
certain  length  of  time.  Resolution,  authority,  example, 
any  or  all,  may  be  the  initiative  that  induces  the  person 
to  persevere  until  the  power  of  habit  has  had  time  to 
take  effect. 

The  great  American,  Benjamin  Franklin,  knew  how 
to  get  rid  of  weeds  and  acted  upon  his  knowledge. 
Listen ! 

"I  wished  to  live  without  committing  any  fault  at 
any  time,"  he  wrote.  "As  I  knew,  or  thought  I  knew, 
what  was  right  and  wrong,  I  did  not  see  why  I  might 


Morals  and  Manners  229 

not  always  do  the  one  and  avoid  the  other.  But  I  soon 
found  that  I  had  undertaken  a  task  more  difficult  than 
I  had  imagined.  While  my  care  was  employed  in 
guarding  against  one  fault,  I  was  often  surprised  by 
another.  Habit  was  sometimes  too  strong  for  reason. 
I  concluded,  at  length,  that  the  bad  habits  must  be 
broken  and  the  good  ones  acquired  and  established." 

This  young  man  thereupon  made  out  a  list  of  his 
faults.  Instead  of  attempting  to  overcome  all  in  a 
single  day,  he  endeavored  to  avoid  one  fault  for  an 
entire  week.  Beginning  with  the  first  on  the  list,  he 
went  down  the  column  week  by  week,  through  the 
entire  thirteen  faults.  The  first  week  he  fought  fault 
number  one,  the  second  week  he  fought  fault  number 
two  and  also  continued  to  avoid  number  one ;  the  third 
week  he  took  fault  number  three  for  his  special  battle, 
not  neglecting  one  and  two.  In  this  way  he  stead- 
fastly continued  through  all  thirteen.  Thus  he  learned 
to  control  himself,  and  because  he  could  control  him- 
self, he  became  a  leader  of  men,  one  of  the  greatest 
thinkers  of  his  day  and  one  of  the  wisest  among  his 
contemporaries  in  the  world.  He  proved  that  "He 
that  ruleth  his  spirit  is  better  than  he  that  taketh  a  city." 

Let  us  see  how  Franklin's  plan  will  work  for  chil- 
dren. In  his  list  are  four  faults,  very  common  indeed, 
which  we  may  as  well  take  for  a  month's  weeding  task, 
one  for  each  week. 

Talkativeness.  "Say  only  what  may  benefit  your- 
self or  others.    Avoid  trifling  conversation." 

DisoRDERLiNESS.  "Let  all  things  have  their  places. 
Let  each  part  of  your  business  have  its  time." 

Wastefulness.     "Waste  nothing." 


230     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

Indolence.  **Lose  no  time.  Be  always  employed 
in  something  useful.     Cut  off  all  unnecessary  action." 

Every  child  should  attend  most  carefully  to  the  first 
of  these,  since  his  main  business  is  to  learn,  to  gain 
knowledge,  which  "is  obtained  rather  by  the  use  of  the 
ears  than  of  the  tongue."  Silence,  joined  to  order, 
saves  time.  There  are  people  who  waste  half  their 
waking  life  through  not  having  orderly  homes  and 
orderly  minds.  Frugality  and  industry  will  bring  to 
each  of  us,  as  they  brought  to  Franklin,  the  means  of 
independence.  It  helps  children  in  overcoming  bad 
habits,  to  talk  about  being  good  a  day  at  a  time,  which 
is  long  enough  in  any  case.  When  a  child  of  seven  or 
older  is  trying  to  overcome  a  fault,  teach  him  to  keep 
a  calendar,  marking  on  it  each  night  the  result  of  the 
day's  efforts — sl  plus  for  success ;  a  minus  for  failure ; 
a  question  mark  for  doubtful. 


CHAPTER  XII 

LANGUAGE   CULTURE   IN   THE    HOME 

The  importance  of  early  and  adequate  training  in 
oral  language  cannot  be  overstated,  for  nothing  in  the 
way  of  book-instruction  can  atone  for  its  neglect,  the 
English  that  we  speak  counting  for  more  as  an  educa- 
tional test  than  the  English  that  we  write.  We  have  it 
on  good  authority  that 

"Words  learned  by  rote  a  parrot  may  rehearse, 
But  talking  is  not  always  to  converse ; 
As  far  removed  from  harmony  divine 
The  constant  creaking  of  a  country  sign." 

However,  in  our  plea  for  upbuilding  in  each  young 
mind  the  beautiful  fabric  of  civilized  human  language, 
we  have  in  view  something  of  higher  and  deeper  import 
than  the  mere  ability  to  be  entertaining  or  smooth- 
tongued or  ready  of  wit,  for  while  these  and  other 
embellishments  are  very  nice  and  no  doubt  have  a 
decided  cultural  value,  theirs  is  not  first  place.  The 
point  is  that  the  human  mind  resembles  what  it  feeds 
upon,  that  it  functions  or  does  not  function  in  an 
orderly  manner  according  to  whether  or  not  it  has  been 
so  trained,  and  that  the  period  which  determines  men- 
tal complexion  and  mental  furnishing  begins  in  baby- 
hood and  wanes  before  the  age  when  wise  parents 
place  their  children  in  school. 

The  school  cannot  give  adequate  langiuige-training. 

231 


232     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

Genius  will  not  supply  the  child  with  a  vocabulary  nor 
will  mere  feelings  teach  him  to  connect  words  with 
each  other  and  to  apply  them  with  accuracy;  far  less 
will  bygone  literary  ancestors  insure  his  preferring 
Shakespeare  to  the  Sunday  supplement.  But  the 
mother  can  do  these  things.  Education,  like  charity, 
begins  at  home.  The  child  is  most  unusual  and  unfor- 
tunate whose  mother  is  not  a  better  teacher  than  any  in 
the  classroom,  the  period  between  the  ages  of  three 
and  seven  giving  greater  opportunity  for  mind  devel- 
opment than  does  the  entire  school  course. 

Teacher-mothers,  there  is  nothing  especially  new  or 
complex  or  technical  in  the  requirements  of  your  role 
as  teacher  of  English.  If  you  can  read  you  can  give 
your  child  such  language  training  as  Plato  himself 
would  approve  of.  However  unconscious  of  it  you 
may  be,  practical  lessons  in  English  have  already  begun 
in  earliest  babyhood.  You  have  prepared  the  child  for 
instruction  by  teaching  him  to  use  a  small  number  of 
words  and  to  attach  a  meaning  to  those  words.  When 
talking  to  a  child,  when  teaching  him  a  little  prayer,  a 
little  song,  a  nursery  rhyme,  you  are  all  the  time  teach- 
ing him  the  English  language.  You  belong  to  the 
grand  league  of  teacher-mothers  without  being  aware 
of  it. 

Now  by  the  use  of  equally  simple  methods  adapted 
to  a  different  age,  you  can  so  train  your  children  that 
they  will  be  an  example  and  inspiration  to  the  whole 
community,  showing  the  neighbors  that  education  does 
not  depend  upon  wealth,  fine  surroundings,  or  costly 
schools,  but  upon  the  patient  care  and  watchfulness  of 
God-fearing  parents. 

The  teacher-mother  will  find  it  easier  to  keep  up 


Language  Culture  in  the  Home  233 

lessons  day  after  day  if  she  keeps  clearly  before  her 
the  aim  of  language-teaching,  which  is  to  develop  and 
train  the  mind.    In  detail  this  means : 

(i)  To  develop  a  gradually  increasing  vocabulary 
from  the  simplest  beginnings;  (2)  to  accustom  the 
child  to  the  use  of  good  language;  (3)  to  train  him  to 
state  as  facts  only  those  things  that  are  facts,  at  the 
same  time  not  only  allowing  but  encouraging  him  to 
indulge  in  imagination  and  fancy  within  certain  limits ; 
(4)  to  train  him  to  express  exactly  and  unmistakably 
what  he  means.  There  is  no  surer  test  of  a  good  edu- 
cation than  the  ability  to  express  exactly  what  one 
means.  The  child  trained  to  see  things  as  they  are  and 
to  describe  them  exactly  as  he  sees  them,  is  acquiring 
a  store  of  correct  notions  and  ideas.  By  training  him 
to  think  before  speaking,  we  foster  truthfulness,  and 
by  inculcating  caution  and  exactness  in  speech  we  fos- 
ter habits  of  caution  and  exactness  in  all  things. 

Our  first  need  is  a  vocabulary,  for  without  words 
we  cannot  express  human  feelings,  we  cannot  acquire 
or  create  ideas.  Without  adequate  word-drill  school- 
ing falls  flat.  For  instance,  that  too-common  plaint, 
*'My  child  has  no  mathematical  ability,"  means  just 
this,  that  the  child  does  not  know  the  meaning  of  words 
and  has  never  been  taught  that  the  first  step  towards 
learning  mathematics,  or  learning  anything  else,  is  to 
find  out  what  the  words  mean.  On  this  point  a  judge 
remarked:  "Half  the  cases  that  come  before  me  for 
decision  would  never  arise  if  the  parties  understood 
the  exact  meaning  of  the  words  employed  in  making 
agreements." 

Language  exercises  a  great  influence  on  one's  mode 
of  thinking.,  just  as  thinking  influences  language,    The 


234     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

wrong  use  of  words  creates  careless  and  slovenly  habits 
of  mind.  It  is  true  that,  even  without  conscious  instruc- 
tion, almost  everybody  would  learn  to  talk,  just  as  it 
is  also  true  that  nearly  everybody  can  get  some  sort  of 
noise  out  of  a  piano,  but  you  cannot  expect  clearness 
and  conciseness  of  expression  in  those  who  are  not 
drilled  to  it.  Recall  what  a  stumbling-block  this  is  in 
school — the  long-winded  explanation  a  child  will  offer 
you  when  all  you  want  to  know  is  whether  a  lesson  is 
understood  or  done.  If  you  ask  a  child — or  for  that 
matter,  a  college  graduate — whether  he  can  tell  you 
promptly  how  much  nine  times  seven  is,  his  answer  will 
be  "sixty-three,"  whereas  it  ought  to  be    "Yes." 

What  an  advantage  it  would  be  if  we  could  be 
trained  to  think  of  testifying  before  an  impatient 
judge  who  wants  to  hear  nothing  but  what  is  important 
and  essential,  and  who  refuses  to  listen  to  anything  not 
to  the  point,  however  eloquently  it  may  be  expressed. 
A  child  so  trained  will  not  later  attempt  to  describe 
earthquakes  with  motions  of  the  hands,  or  to  hide  his 
lack  of  intelligent  speech  behind  a  few  smart  slang 
phrases  which  are  supposed  to  express  all  ideas  and 
emotions  of  the  human  mind. 

Here  are  a  few  general  suggestions  which  each 
mother  can  work  over  into  a  method  of  her  own : 

Teach  many  songs  and  poems  indirectly,  by  singing 
or  repeating  them  to  the  child,  not  like  a  set  lesson. 
Do  not  urge  him  to  repeat  these  until  he  is  ready  to  do 
so.  As  one  dear  little  twelve-year-old  teacher  said  of 
her  young  brother:  "If  you  try  to  make  Teddy  learn 
poetry  he  won't  listen  at  all,  but  when  I  just  say  it  to 
myself  like,  he  listens  and  says  it  after  me."  Do  not 
try  to  teach  a  poem  that  the  child  does  not  like  or  under- 


Language  Culture  in  the  Home  235 

stand.  The  fodder  must  not  be  flung  too  high  for  the 
calf. 

Avoid  complexity  in  your  plan  of  instruction  and 
never  take  a  new  step  before  the  previous  one  is  clearly 
understood  and  thoroughly  mastered.  It  takes  a  little 
child  a  long  time  to  visualize  a  new  notion ;  for  instance, 
it  may  take  months  for  him  to  distinguish  the  differ- 
ence between  past,  present,  and  future.  Never  let  him 
use  such  words  before  he  thoroughly  grasps  them.  It 
is  too  common  to  assume  that  a  pupil  understands  a 
word  if  he  can  spell  and  pronounce  it.  Do  not  take 
for  granted  that  the  child  knows  common  objects  and 
the  meaning  of  common  words.  No  poem  should  be 
memorized  unless  preceded  by  careful  word-study, 
whereby  an  unbroken  series  of  distinct  pictures  is  set 
up  in  the  brain. 

An  unusually  intelligent  little  girl  of  nine  who  has 
always  lived  by  the  sea,  and  has  had  "geography  les- 
sons" for  two  years  in  school,  was  taken  out  for  a  sail. 
When  an  island  two  miles  out  was  sighted,  she  asked 
if  that  was  "the  other  side  of  the  ocean."  Another 
child  of  the  same  age,  on  learning  that  her  mother  had 
received  in  the  afternoon  a  letter  from  her  sister  in 
England,  asked:  "Did  Auntie  write  that  letter  this 
morning?"  Such  simplicity  is  natural  and  by  no  means 
undesirable,  but  we  must  recognize  it  and  shape  our 
instruction  accordingly.  Therefore,  discourage  the 
practice  of  memorizing  without  previously  acquiring 
a  clear  understanding  of  the  meaning  and  force  of  each 
word.  Never  teach  a  child  words  denoting  things 
which  he  cannot  comprehend,  for  words  are  useless 
lumber  unless  they  symbolize  an  idea,  that  is,  the  pupil 
must  connect  the  word  unmistakably  with  the  object 


236     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

or  idea  which  it  represents.  Do  not  define  in  the  same 
lesson  two  unknown  words,  or  a  word  unrelated  to  that 
lesson.  For  instance,  if  you  talk  about  clams  while 
the  child  is  memorizing  Jack  Horner,  the  chances  are 
that  in  later  years  the  name  of  Jack  Horner  will  bring 
to  his  mind  clams  as  well  as  plums. 

Do  not  read  much  at  a  time  to  a  child.  Imagine 
yourself  in  a  picture  gallery,  where  your  desire  is  to 
stay  before  some  one  beautiful  painting  long  enough 
to  understand  it,  to  realize  its  beauty,  and  enjoy  it. 
You  do  not  want  the  guide  to  hustle  you  recklessly 
along.  While  you  read  or  speak  to  the  child,  you  are 
flashing  a  series  of  pictures  before  his  mind,  each  one 
new  and  wonderful,  and  you  should  give  him  time  to 
ask  questions  about  each  of  them,  to  get  a  true  percep- 
tion or  mental  image  of  each.  Crowding  and  cram- 
ming blunt  the  stimulus  to  learn  and  to  know. 

Give  daily  training  in  speaking  clearly  and  correctly 
and  in  answering  precisely  the  question  asked.  Thus  if 
you  ask  whether  he  has  done  so  and  so,  do  not  allow 
him  to  form  the  habit  of  giving  the  explanation  before 
he  has  answered  "y^s"  or  "no."  When  asking  a  ques- 
tion, first  make  the  child  listen  to  it  carefully  and  try 
to  understand  it,  then  make  him  answer  that  particular 
question,  and  not  some  question  that  he  had  hoped  you 
might  ask.  For  example:  ''Where  is  your  cap?" 
Wrong  answer:  ''I  left  it  in  the  yard.  Answer:  ''It 
is  in  the  yard." 

Allow  children  to  have  only  such  reading  or  pictures 
as  are  elevating  in  tone,  and  if  the  "funny  papers" 
are  brought  into  your  home,  destroy  them  before  they 
fall  into  their  hands.  Do  not  trouble  children  under 
eight  or  nine  with  lives  of  authors  or  painters,  for  as 


Language  Culture  in  the  Home  2^,7 

yet  they  should  have  no  thought  for  the  artist,  but 
should  yield  themselves  to  the  beautiful  object,  the 
poem  or  the  picture.  Cultivate  first  the  poetic  taste, 
which  belongs  to  a  period  earlier  than  the  critical  fac- 
ulty, the  two  phases  of  mind  being,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
incompatible  with  one  another.  First  learn  from  the 
poet,  and  later  analyze  his  works  and  his  life.  It 
should  be  as  though  the  poems  wrote  themselves,  or 
just  were. 

The  language  material  for  the  period  between  the 
ages  of  two  or  three  and  seven  should  be  mainly  poetry. 
Poetry  is  the  natural  language  of  childhood,  since  it 
is  the  language  of  faith,  of  wonder,  of  high-wrought 
feeling.  Simple,  image-making  poetry  is  our  most 
natural  available  means  of  bridging  the  space  between 
lack  of  knowledge  and  the  beginnings  of  understand- 
ing. Whoever  knows  children  is  aware  of  their  love 
of  repetition  and  of  exact  statement.  They  want  you 
to  tell  the  same  story  at  least  a  hundred  times  without 
changing  it  in  the  slightest.  The  ant  and  the  grass- 
hopper must  say  good  morning  to  each  other  in  pre- 
cisely the  same  tone  and  manner  every  time;  the  wolf 
must  use  the  self -same  words  each  time  he  meets  the 
little  pig  and  he  must  never  recover  from  his  hoarse- 
ness. Poetry,  being  fixed  in  form,  satisfies  this  hunger 
for  repetition  and  exactness,  and  besides,  the  rhythm 
makes  such  a  natural  appeal  that  memorizing  calls  for 
no  more  than  baby  effort. 

That  the  memory  should  be  thus  exercised  in  early 
childhood  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  it  is  the  first  of 
our  mental  faculties  to  be  developed  and  used.  It  is 
a  faculty  which  we  share  in  common  with  the  animals. 
Its  continual  exercise  in  laying  up  the  treasures  of  the 


238     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

poets,  the  precepts  of  the  philosophers,  the  problems 
of  the  mathematicians,  gave  to  the  Greek  mind  a  power 
of  retention  which  nothing  could  easily  escape.  In 
addition  to  the  new  words  which  our  little  learner  is 
gaining  through  observation-lessons,  let  us  increase  his 
vocabulary  by  teaching  him  simple  epic  poetry  worth 
remembering  for  life,  for  in  this  way  he  learns  to 
speak  agreeably  and  correctly.  Such  memorizing  gives 
abundant  practice  in  the  happy  choice  of  words,  idioms, 
phrases,  in  expressive,  energetic  language,  in  harmoni- 
ous combinations  and  sequences,  thought  is  stimulated 
and  the  imagination  is  exalted.  Teach  simple  Bible 
verses  dealing  with  natural  things  and  speaking  of  God 
in  a  simple  manner,  such  as:  "The  eyes  of  the  Lord 
are  in  every  place,  beholding  the  evil  and  the  good"; 
"Hast  thou  seen  a  man  diligent  at  his  work  ?  He  shall 
stand  before  kings";  "Go  to  the  ant,  thou  sluggard; 
consider  her  ways  and  be  wise";  "Trust  in  the  Lord 
with  all  thine  heart."  Choose  animal  stories  before 
fairy  stories,  for  they  come  first  in  the  order  of  nature, 
while  fairy  tales  belong  to  a  later  age  than  seven  or 
eight  years. 

Accustom  the  child  to  use  a  sentence  rather  than  a 
phrase  in  answering  you,  but  do  not  forget  that  this 
can  be  done  only  during  the  regular  lessons,  for  insist- 
ence upon  such  accuracy  during  ordinary,  everyday  life 
would  be  impossible  and  irrational.  During  the  regu- 
lar lessons,  however,  the  child  will  instinctively  and 
naturally  comply  with  the  demand  for  an  accuracy 
which  becomes  irksome  in  ordinary  intercourse  with 
others. 

Here  is  an  outline  of  model  lessons  suitable  for 
young  children,  beginning  with  the  age  of  three,  which 


Language  Culture  in  the  Home  239 

the  mother  should  supplement  out  of  her  own  imagina- 
tion and  inventiveness,  which  will  grow  by  leaps  and 
bounds  when  she  calls  them  into  play.  The  main  thing 
that  I  hope  to  indicate  in  this  space  is  the  kind  of  mate- 
rial and  teaching  that  may  be  safely  given  during  this 
early  age. 

SPECIAL  METHODS 
(Natural  and  Inductive) 

English 

1.  Memorizing. 

2.  General  Information. 

3.  Spelling. 

4.  Reading. 

These  subjects  should  be  taught  in  the  order  indi- 
cated, and  in  such  a  way  that  from  the  very  beginning 
the  second  is  taught  in  conjunction  with  the  first.  As 
the  first  step  in  teaching  spelling,  teach  the  child  to 
analyze  the  spoken  word  into  the  sounds  which  compose 
it,  and  when  this  is  understood,  show  by  what  letters 
these  sounds  are  represented  and  teach  the  names  of 
the  letters,  on  the  analogy  that  the  child  should  know 
something  of  numbers  before  he  learns  the  symbols, 
or  figures.  Next  show  that  the  same  letter  does  not 
always  represent  the  same  sound,  and  that  the  same 
sound  is  not  always  represented  by  the  same  letter. 
Take  very  simple  words  of  two  or  three  letters,  such 
as  No,  for  instance.  Have  the  child  separate  this  word 
into  the  two  sounds  (not  letters),  N-o,  without  as  yet 
giving  the  names  of  these  letters.  After  the  child  has 
had  practice  in  analyzing  other  words  into  the  sounds 
composing  them,  teach  him  the  names  of  the  letters 


240     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

representing  these  sounds,  one  at  a  time  and  very  care- 
fully, as  en,  o.  The  teaching  of  reading  should  not  be 
begun  until  sufficient  progress  has  been  made  in  the 
other  three  subjects. 

In  teaching  English,  the  teacher-mother  should  keep 
in  mind  the  following  aims:  to  develop  and  train  the 
mind;  to  develop  a  gradually  increasing  vocabulary 
from  the  simplest  beginners ;  to  train  the  child  to  think 
before  speaking;  to  form  and  develop  the  faculty  of 
expressing  exactly  and  unmistakably  what  is  meant; 
to  accustom  and  habituate  the  child  to  the  use  of  cor- 
rect and  good  language ;  through  habits  of  caution  and 
exactness  in  speech,  to  foster  truthfulness,  as  well  as 
caution  and  exactness  in  all  things;  to  make  the  child 
see  things  as  they  are  and  describe  them  exactly  as  he 
sees  them,  thus  acquiring  a  store  of  correct  notions  and 
ideas;  to  enable  the  child  to  connect  the  notions  and 
ideas  so  acquired  with  logical  thoughts,  and  to  express 
these  in  correct  language ;  to  train  the  child  to  state  as 
facts  only  those  things  that  are  facts,  at  the  same  time 
not  only  allowing  but  encouraging  him  to  indulge  in 
imagination  and  fancy  within  certain  limits. 

Do  not  try  to  teach  the  child  a  poem  that  he  does 
not  like  or  thoroughly  understand;  do  not  force  on  a 
child  the  moral  of  a  story,  or  even  suggest  it,  but  leave 
it  to  the  child  to  find  it  by  instinct  and  intuition;  do 
not  teach  prayers  as  a  part  of  these  lessons.  Prayer 
should  be  kept  apart  as  something  sacred,  confined  to 
the  intimacy  between  the  child  and  the  mother  or  fam- 
ily, and  God. 

How  to  proceed  in  teaching  English  in  all  four 
departments : 

Follow  instructions  and  method  as  outlined  under 


Language  Culture  in  the  Home  241 

"How  to  Proceed"  in  "Object-Lessons  and  Observa- 
tions." 

Make  the  child  separate  his  teeth  and  open  his  mouth 
wide  when  speaking.  Make  him  enunciate  each  word 
after  you,  distinctly  and  repeatedly,  syllable  by  syllable. 
The  articulation  should  be  so  careful  that  each  single 
sound  can  be  distinctly  heard.  The  general  lament 
over  bad  spelling  is  only  too  just,  but  such  wretched 
spelling  is  primarily  due  to  careless  articulation  and 
pronunciation  in  earliest  youth.  It  rests  with  the 
teacher-mothers  to  remedy  it  by  their  patience  and  care, 
the  schools  being  powerless  without  their  help.  Make 
the  child  take  a  breath  before  he  speaks,  and  a  new 
breath  after  each  sentence;  make  him  speak  from  the 
chest  and  not  from  the  throat  and  sit  or  stand  erect  with 
chest  expanded  and  shoulders  thrown  back.  If  you 
attend  to  these  things  there  will  be  no  need  for  so-called 
breathing  exercises. 

From  the  beginning,  make  the  child  speak  correctly 
during  these  lessons.  This  does  not  mean  to  bar  all 
"baby  talk"  outside  the  lessons,  which  would  be  as 
unreasonable  as  to  use  only  baby  talk.  Make  the  child 
give  correctly  the  vowel-sounds — it,  not  ut;  make  him 
sound  final  consonants — and,  not  an',  eating,  not  eatin' ; 
make  him  separate  words — Jack  Horner,  not  Jack- 
orner,  pulled  out,  not  pull  dout,  and  the  like.  Other- 
wise, such  slight  neglects  will  develop  into  serious  and 
incorrigible  faults  and  habits. 

Do  not  allow  the  child  to  escape  effort,  or  hide  igno- 
rance, by  vague  replies.  Where  possible,  suppress  by 
ridicule  all  attempts  at  evasion,  elusion,  or  prevarica- 
tion. Do  not  let  the  child  trick  you  or  get  the  better  of 
you,  or  imagine  that  he  does,  or  he  will  lose  his  respect 


242     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

for  you  and  you  will  lose  your  authority.  If  the  child 
sees  that  you  are  weaker  than  himself  in  any  one  point, 
you  might  as  well  give  up.  If  you  yourself  have  made 
a  mistake,  acknowledge  it  at  once,  without  hesitation 
or  further  comment,  for  if  the  child  sees  that  you  are 
strong  enough  to  acknowledge  your  mistakes,  he  will 
follow  your  example. 


MEMORIZING 

FIRST   YEAR 

For  a  model  lesson  we  shall  take  the  nursery  rhyme : 

"Little  Jack  Horner 
Sat  in  a  corner, 
Eating  a  Christmas  pie; 
He  put  in  his  thumb 
And  pulled  out  a  plum, 
And  said,  'What  a  good  boy  am  I !' " 

Sing  or  repeat  these  lines  many  times  distinctly  to 
the  child.  Then  repeat  the  first  few  words  and  let  him 
supply  the  next  word  when  you  pause,  as:   "Little 

Jack ";  "Horner."     "Sat  in  a ";  "corner," 

and  so  on. 

Then  omit  two  or  more  words  for  the  child  to  sup- 
ply, as:  "Little ";  "Jack  Horner."     "Sat "; 

"in  a  corner,"  and  so  on,  until  the  child  learns  to  recite 
the  lines  alone. 

Teach  the  child  to  suit  action  to  the  words,  as  at  "Sat 
in  a  corner,"  let  him  run  and  sit  in  a  corner. 

Ask  questions,  as :  "What  was  the  little  boy's  name?" 
"His  name  was  Jack  Horner."  "Where  did  he  sit?" 
"He  sat  in  a  corner."     "How  many  corners  in  this 


Language  Culture  in  the  Home  243 

room?'*  "Show  me  the  corner  of  the  table."  "How 
many  corners  has  this  table?"  "Is  this  a  corner?" 
(indicating  the  edge).    "No,  that  is  an  edge." 

Make  the  child  answer  in  complete  sentences,  teach- 
ing him  to  join  words  to  phrases  and  phrases  to  sen- 
tences or  clauses. 

Use  words  and  phrases  from  the  rhyme  just  men- 
tioned, in  teaching  the  child  to  form  simple,  correct 
sentences,  eliminating  as  much  as  possible  the  /,  me, 
my,  and  so  on.  Here  follow  some  examples  of  such 
sentences. 

This  chair  is  little. 

Sister  sat  this  morning  by  the  table.  (It  is  necessary 
here  to  add  "this  morning,"  otherwise  the  child  would 
not  understand  that  sat  refers  to  past  time.) 

Now,  mother  sits  by  the  able. 

That  chair  stands  in  the  corner. 

Last  night.  Baby  put  her  thumb  into  her  mouth. 

Now,  Baby  puts  her  spoon  into  her  mouth. 

Following  these  examples,  innumerable  suitable  sen- 
tences adapted  to  the  local  circumstances  may  be 
formed. 

Pronounce  the  word  am;  make  the  child  repeat  it 
after  you.  Then  separate  it  into  its  two  sounds  (not 
letters)  a-m,  as  directed  earlier  in  this  chapter.  Make 
the  child  repeat  these  sounds  after  you.  Let  the  child 
find  words  rhyming  with  am,  as  ham,  clam,  jam,  in 
which  way  you  can  test  whether  he  understands  what 
is  meant  by  a  sound.  Other  suitable  words  are  /,  a, 
in.  Teach  the  child  that  /  and  a  are  words  of  one 
sound,  while  am  and  in  are  words  of  two  sounds.  Be 
very  careful  that  the  child,  in  rendering  these  sounds, 
has  the  organs  of  speech  in  the  correct  position :  for  n. 


244     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

teeth  closed,  lips  separated,  for  I,  mouth  wide  open. 
A  noticeable  pause  should  be  made  between  each  two 
succeeding  sounds. 

Take  the  word  in  for  sound-analysis.  Let  the  child 
find  words  rhyming  with  in  (tin,  fin,  pin,  din,  etc.) 
Make  clear  the  meaning  of  such  words  and  help  the 
child  to  make  little  sentences  to  illustrate  the  use  of 
each :  This  is  a  tin  cup.  The  goldfish  has  a  fin.  The 
pin  has  a  head  and  a  point.     Brother  is  making  a  din. 

SECOND   YEAR 

For  most  children  of  four,  such  verses  as  the  eight 
lines  following  may  be  taken  as  a  model. 

"What  does  little  birdie  say. 
In  her  nest  at  peep  of  day? 
*Let  me  fly,'  says  little  birdie, 
'Mother,  let  me  fly  away.' 
'Birdie,  rest  a  little  longer, 
Till  the  little  wings  are  stronger/ 
So  she  rests  a  little  longer. 
Then  she  flies  away." 

Before  proceeding  to  teach  the  second  year's  lessons 
on  memorizing,  teach  the  observation  lessons  described 
in  Chapter  VII  for  second  year. 

When  the  child  understands  the  terms  long  and 
longer  as  used  therein,  proceed  in  much  the  same  way 
to  teach  him  the  meaning  of  a  little  longer.  Have  at 
hand  several  sticks,  pencils,  ribbons,  towels,  or  similar 
objects,  of  various  lengths.  Tell  the  child  to  give  you 
a  certain  stick;  then  to  give  you  a  much  longer  stick; 
then  to  give  you  a  little  longer  stick.    When  the  child 


Language  Culture  in  the  Home  245 

understands  the  meaning  of  little  longer,  as  applied  to 
concrete  things,  give  him  a  lesson  on  a  little  longer, 
referring  to  time.  **You  may  play  a  little  longer," 
"We  shall  stay  a  little  longer,"  etc.  Teach  the  word 
stronger  in  a  similar  way,  by  making  the  child  break 
bits  of  thread  or  twine,  or  pieces  of  wood  of  different 
thicknesses,  to  learn  the  meaning  of  stronger.  Teach 
the  pupil  the  meaning  of  *'peep  of  day"  by  awakening 
him  early  to  see  the  approaching  dawn.  When  every 
word  and  expression  in  this  stanza  has  thus  been  made 
clear  to  the  child,  proceed  to  teach  the  memorizing  of 
it  in  the  same  way  as  in  "Memorizing,  First  Year." 

Now,  hold  with  the  child  a  dialogue  based  on  this 
stanza,  the  mother  being  the  mother-bird  with  the 
pupil  the  birdie. 

Child.  "Let  me  fly,  mother,  let  me  fly  away." 

Mother.   "Birdie,  rest  a  little  longer. 

Till  the  little  wings  are  stronger." 

Now  change  the  parts  about,  the  mother  being  the 
birdie. 

After  exhausting  such  dialogues,  continue  your 
questioning  as  follows: 

"Have  you  got  wings?" 

"No,  mother  (or  mamma),  I  have  not  any  wings." 

"What  have  you  instead  of  wings?" 

"I  have  arms  instead  of  wings."  (Or,  "Instead  of 
wings  I  have  arms.") 

Thus  the  child  begins  to  see  that  there  is  a  similarity 
between  his  body  and  that  of  the  bird.  He  will  prob- 
ably ask:  "Why  can  I  not  fly,  too?"  to  which  a  fitting 
answer  is  that  God  made  the  birds  to  fly,  while  He 
made  us  to  walk  upright. 

Make  the  child  analyze  the  sounds  of  words  as  here- 


246     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

inbefore  directed.  Take  words  of  three  sounds.  Suit- 
able words  in  this  stanza  are  let,  fly,  away,  till,  peep. 
Say  nothing  about  silent  letters,  the  child  not  having  as 
yet  learned  about  the  letters. 

Find  words  rhyming  with  these  as  met,  net,  pet, 
wet,  yet,  bet,  get,  jet,  set.  Make  sentences  using  these 
words. 

These  lessons  in  sound-analysis  need  not  be  given 
every  day,  nor  with  many  words,  but  only  occasionally 
and  with  such  suitable  words  as  those  listed. 

MEMORIZING 

THIRD   YEAR 

The  child  of  five  will  rejoice  in  that  vigorous  stanza 
from  Browning's  "Pied  Piper  of  Hamelin" : 

"Rats! 
They  fought  the  dogs  and  killed  the  cats, 

And  bit  the  babies  in  their  cradles, 
And  ate  the  cheeses  out  of  the  vats, 

And  licked  the  soup  from  the  cooks'  own  ladles. 
Split  open  the  kegs  of  salted  sprats, 
Made  nests  inside  men's  Sunday  hats. 
And  even  spoiled  the  women's  chats. 
By  drowning  their  speaking 
With  shrieking  and  squeaking 
In  fifty  different  sharps  and  flats." 

^lake  the  child  understand  that  bit  means  did  bite, 
and  so  on.  While  the  child  will  readily  understand 
that  killed  refers  to  past  time,  he  will  not  so  readily 
understand  that  fought,  bit,  and  ate  refer  to  past  time 
and  mean  did  fight,  did  bite,  did  eat.    When  the  child 


Language  Culture  in  the  Home  247 

understands  every  word  in  the  first  three  lines,  ending 
with  "cradles,"  make  him  memorize  them,  as  in  second 
year;  ask  questions,  such  as:  "What  did  the  rats  do?" 
and  make  the  child  tell  you  the  three  things  thus  far 
learned.  Then:  "Who  fought  the  dogs?"  "The  rats 
fought  the  dogs."     "Who  killed  the  cats?"  and  so  on. 

Before  beginning  the  next  line,  make  certain  that 
the  child  knows  what  a  vat  is.  A  vat  is  a  large  tub. 
In  some  countries,  Switzerland,  for  instance,  cheeses 
are  made  as  large  as  cart-wheels,  so  they  are  kept  in 
vats.  A  visit  to  the  grocer  might  give  the  child  an 
idea  of  the  size  of  the  whole  cheese.  As  the  rats 
attacked  the  cheeses  in  the  vats,  that  is,  before  a  human 
being  could  get  a  bite  of  them,  they  were  not  only 
greedy  but  impudent. 

Add  the  memorizing  of  this  line  to  the  previous 
ones.  Continue  in  this  way,  explaining  word  by  word 
the  meaning  of  each  line,  then  adding  that  line  to  the 
part  memorized.  Show  the  child  a  keg.  If  you  have 
none,  explain  that  it  is  a  small  cask.  Show  him  a 
small  herring,  to  make  him  understand  sprats.  Explain 
and  illustrate  "split  open."  "Shrieking  and  squeaking 
in  fifty  different  sharps  and  flats"  may  be  illustrated 
on  the  piano  or  some  other  musical  instrument  by  dis- 
cordant notes,  or  by  the  human  voice  in  various  high 
and  low  pitches.  Explain  that  sharp  and  flat  as  used 
here  have  not  their  usual  meaning;  that  "sharp"  means 
high  and  "flat"  means  low.  Let  the  child  try  to  imitate 
these  noises  without  getting  out  of  the  bounds  of  pro- 
priety. 

Let  the  memorizing  keep  pace  with  the  explanations 
but  never  go  before  the  understanding. 

If  no  live  rats  can  be  shown,  show  the  child  pictures 


248         Bookless  Lessons  for  Teacher-Mother 

of  rats,  and  help  him  to  make  vivid  mental  pictures, 
such  as  the  rats  ''licking  the  soup  from  the  cooks'  own 
ladles."  Hungry  rats  will  attack  cats  and  dogs  and 
even  human  beings.  Do  not  give  a  morbid  complexion 
to  the  passage,  "bit  the  babies." 

Make  the  child  analyze  the  sounds  of  one  word,  or 
more,  in  each  lesson,  taking  words  of  four  sounds,  as : 
rats,  chats,  hats,  cats,  vats,  dogs,  killed,  cooks,  open, 
kegs.  Make  him  find  rhyming  words  for  fought,  fight, 
bit,  bite,  eat,  ate,  keg,  and  so  on. 

Make  him  form  simple  correct  sentences  using  the 
words  fight,  fought;  kill,  killed;  eat,  ate;  lick,  licked; 
make,  made;  spoil,  spoiled;  and  so  on. 


MEMORIZING 

FOURTH    YEAR 

For  a  model  lesson  we  take  the  following  poem 

"Twinkle,  twinkle,  little  star ! 
How  I  wonder  what  you  are, 
Up  above  the  world  so  high. 
Like  a  diamond  in  the  sky. 

"When  the  glorious  sun  is  set, 
When  the  grass  with  dew  is  wet. 
Then  you  show  your  little  light. 
Twinkle,  twinkle,  all  the  night. 

"In  the  dark  blue  sky  you  keep. 
And  often  through  my  curtains  peep. 
For  you  never  shut  your  eye 
Till  the  sun  is  in  the  sky. 


Language  Culture  in  the  Home  249 

"As  your  bright  and  tiny  spark 
Guides  the  traveler  in  the  dark, 
Though  I  know  not  what  you  are, 
Twinkle,  twinkle,  little  star." 

The  object-lessons  on  sun,  stars,  dew,  sky  and  world 
should  be  taught  before  the  memorizing  of  this  poem, 
and  an  analogous  procedure  should  be  followed  with 
all  poems  or  passages  to  be  memorized. 

Teach  the  meaning  of  all  new  words  in  the  first 
stanza.  By  showing  the  child  a  distant  light  shining 
with  interruptions  explain  the  meaning  of  "winking" ; 
in  this  way  friendly  greetings  could  be  exchanged  in 
spite  of  great  distances,  just  as  we  wave  good-by  and 
welcome  to  one  another;  show  objects  sparkling,  as 
raindrops  or  dewdrops  in  the  bright  light,  thus  explain- 
ing the  meaning  of  sparkle;  then  associate  the  three 
words  wink,  sparkle,  and  twinkle,  to  show  that  they 
have  related  meanings  and  that  yet  each  word  has  its 
own  uses,  as  : 

1.  To  close  and  open  the  eyelids  rapidly — wink, 
(Illustrate.) 

2.  When  a  light  seems  to  throw  off  sparks,  as  a 
red  hot  iron  when  hammered  in  the  forge,  we  say  it 
sparkles. 

3.  When  a  bright  light  comes  and  goes  rapidly  at 
intervals,  as  if  winking,  we  say  it  twinkles. 

Find  further  examples  such  as  a  drop  of  dew  or  a 
snow-crystal  sparkling  in  the  sunlight.  In  this  way 
prepare  the  pupil  for  the  important  lessons  in  syno- 
nyms that  should  be  given  between  seven  and  ten. 

In  the  evening,  while  the  child  gazes  at  the  starry 
sky,  the  mother  should  seize  the  opportunity  and  recite 


250     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

aloud  the  first  four  lines.  Let  the  pupil  single  out  a 
conspicuous  star,  which  he  should  try  to  find  night 
after  night,  the  mother  reciting  the  lines  to  him  each 
time.  In  this  way  is  naturally  brought  about  the  con- 
tact of  souls  between  mother  and  child,  of  which  so 
much  is  spoken  and  written. 

Further  suitable  questions  are  such  as  these : 

"What  color  is  the  sky  on  a  clear  day?"  "It  is 
light  blue." 

"What  color  is  it  on  a  clear  night?"  "It  is  dark 
blue,"  and  so  on. 

When  the  child  knows  by  heart  the  first  four  lines, 
prepare  him  in  the  same  way  for  learning  the  second 
stanza. 

Find  synonyms  for  glorious,  such  as  splendid.  Help 
him  to  use  the  words  correctly.  Point  out  that  these 
words  are  used  figuratively,  not  literally,  in  such 
phrases  as :  "A  glorious  time,"  "splendid  fun." 

After  this  stanza  has  been  memorized,  ask  ques- 
tions, as : 

"When  do  the  stars  shine?"  The  answer  should 
be  found  in  the  first  line,  then  the  second  line,  of  the 
second  stanza. 

"Where  do  the  stars  go  when  the  sun  is  shining?" 
(The  child's  answer  will  show  you  whether  you  have 
taught  successfully  the  lesson  on  stars,  and  will  give 
you  the  opportunity  to  clear  up  miscomprehensions.) 

"Where  does  the  dew  go  when  the  sun  is  shining?" 
(Follow  hint  under  preceding  question.) 

Proceed  with  the  third  and  fourth  stanzas,  follow- 
ing directions  as  given  for  the  first  and  second. 

Before  giving  the  fourth  stanza  for  memorizing, 
make  clear  the  meaning  of  guides  and  traveler.     To 


Language  Culture  in  the  Home  251 

guide  means  to  lead  or  to  direct.  Mother  guides  the 
child  by  the  hand.  The  driver  guides  the  horse  by 
means  of  reins.  Someone  directs  the  stranger  to  the 
house  which  he  seeks.  The  words  pilot,  conductor  and 
the  like,  might  here  be  taught  to  the  child,  associating 
them  with  to  guide.  In  similar  ways,  make  clear  the 
words  travel  and  traveler. 

FIRST  LESSONS  IN   RHYTHM  AND  RHYME 

Recite  aloud  the  line,  "Twin'kle,  twin'kle,  lit'tle 
star',"  pausing  after  each  word,  pronouncing  "twin- 
kle" almost  as  "twinkel."  (The  accent  or  symbol  ' 
marks  the  syllable  which  has  the  stress  or  emphasis.) 

Make  the  child  repeat  carefully  after  you.  Then  ask : 
Which  word  is  pronounced  with  one  opening  of  the 
mouth  ? 

Ans.    "Star." 

"Star"  is  a  word  of  only  one  syllable,  which  means 
that  it  is  pronounced  by  opening  the  mouth  once  only 
or  with  one  effort  of  the  voice. 

"Little,"  on  the  contrary,  has  two  syllables  and  is 
pronounced  with  two  efforts  of  the  voice,  almost  as 
lit-tel. 

Now  pronounce  each  word  separately  and  ask  how 
many  syllables  each  contains. 

Ans.  ''Twinkle  has  two  syllables ;  little  has  two  syl- 
lables; star  has  one  syllable." 

Continue  in  this  way,  line  by  line,  through  the  poem. 
Do  not  yield  to  the  prevailing  error  that  repetition  is 
wearisome  to  the  child.  On  the  contrary,  and  for- 
tunately, it  appeals  to  him  and  thus  simplifies  the  teach- 
ing. Such  lessons  as  these  are  like  a  game  to  him. 
Note  his  pleasure  on  detecting  for  the  first  time  words 


252     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

of  three  syllables,  as  di'-a-mond,  glo^-ri-ous,  trai/- 
el-cr. 

Now  make  the  pupil  repeat  the  first  verse  and  scan 
the  syllables,  tapping  the  table  with  thumb  and  fingers 
alternately  to  keep  the  count.  Give  him  time  to  realize 
the  count — four  stressed  syllables  plus  three  unac- 
cented. Do  likewise  with  the  second  line.  The  pupil 
will  notice  that  most  of  the  lines  have  seven  syllables. 
Let  him  continue  thus  throughout  the  poem,  counting 
the  syllables  of  every  verse,  finding  the  three  exceptions 
to  this  uniform  number  of  syllables.  When  finally 
reciting  the  poem,  the  scanning  must  be  made  subordi- 
nate to  the  natural  pausing  and  pronouncing,  but  only 
in  so  much  that  the  reciting  does  not  seem  to  conflict 
with  the  colloquial  way  of  speaking. 

The  child  will  have  learned  from  previous  lessons 
that  rhyming  words  contain  similar  sounds.  Show 
him  that  in  his  poetry,  the  rhyming  words  recur  at 
regular  intervals.  Rhyme  is  not  a  mere  ornament, 
but  may  be  compared  to  harmony  in  music.  Repeat  the 
first  two  lines  of  "Twinkle,  twinkle,  little  star."  Make 
the  child  repeat  and  name  the  rhyming  words.  Make 
him  find  other  words  rhyming  with  star  and  are.  Re- 
peat the  third  and  fourth  lines  and  make  the  child  find 
the  rhyming  words.  Make  him  find  words  rhyming 
with  high  and  sky.  Continue  in  this  way  throughout 
the  poem. 

The  liking  for  rhythm  is  simply  and  naturally  culti- 
vated in  young  pupils  by  teaching  them  simple  songs 
and  poems. 

Continue  the  preparatory  practice. 

I.  Pronounce  distinctly  and  slowly,  in  an  even  tone, 
the  following  words,  making  the  child  repeat  them  in 


Langtiage  Culture  in  the  Home  253 

the  same  manner:  ma-ple;  bran-ches;  seed-ling;  nest- 
ling; swal-low;  spar-row;  rob-in;  blue-bird. 

2.  Repeat,  making  the  pupil  repeat  one  at  a  time 
after  you,  this  time  accenting  the  first  syllable  of  each 
— ma! -pi;  bran'-ches,  etc. — marking  it  by  clapping  the 
hands  sharply. 

3.  Count  aloud  twenty  times,  one-two,  one-two; 
enunciate  slowly  and  evenly,  similarly  to  the  ticking  of 
a  large  clock. 

4.  Repeat,  saying  one  very  loudly  and  two  very 
softly  each  time.  Speak  evenly,  steadily,  keep  time. 
This  means,  speak  rhythmically,  at  a  slow  rate  of 
speed. 

Repeat  at  moderate  rate. 
Repeat  fast. 

5.  Repeat  4,  clapping  hands  at  one  each  time. 

6.  Repeat  4,  making  a  downward  motion  of  the 
hand  for  one  and  an  upward  motion  of  the  hand  for 
two  each  time. 

7.  Repeat  the  first  four  lines  of  "Twinkle,  Twinkle, 
Little  Star,"  according  to  4. 

i'      2        i'     2       i'  2        i' 
Twin  kle  /  twin  kle  /  lit  tie  /  star, 

i'    2        i'     2  i'      2         i' 

How  I  /  won  der  /  what  you  /  are ; 
i'  2         i'     2  i'     2        i' 

Up  a  /  bove  the  /  world  so  /  high, 

i'   2      i'     2  i'   2        i' 

Like  a  /  di  amend  /  in  the  /  sky. 

8.  Repeat,  clapping  hands  at  one  each  time. 

9.  Repeat,  beating  time  as  directed  in  6. 

This  poem,  which  has  two  beats  to  the  measure, 
with  accent  on  first  beat,  should  be  thus  recited  rhyth- 


254     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

mically — metrically — throughout,  not  once  but  many 
times. 

10.  Repeat  7,  8,  and  9  with  other  poems  having  the 
same  rhythm,  as  "What  Does  Little  Birdie  Say?" 

Make  the  child  repeat  after  you,  speaking  distinctly, 
slowly  and  evenly,  the  following  succession  of  words 
with  two  syllables : 

a-way^ ;  re~turn' ;  sur -prise' ;  a-lone' ;  de-ny';  ^t-tack' ; 
re-porf ;  ex-plode';  pro-voke';  con-ceaV ;  se-cure' ;  con- 
fess';  de-fend' ;  a-cross'. 

1 1 .  Again  make  the  pupil  repeat  this  list  after  you, 
accenting  the  second  syllable  of  each  word  with  both 
voice  and  hand-claps. 

12.  Repeat  4,  but  this  time  speak  one  very  softly 
and  two  very  loudly  each  time,  speaking  steadily,  keep- 
ing time  with  hand-claps,  slowly,  moderately  fast,  then 
at  a  fast  rate. 

13.  Repeat  12,  beating  time,  making  an  upward 
motion  of  the  hand  for  one  and  a  downward  motion 
for  two  each  time. 

14.  Repeat  seven  verses  of  the  stanza  beginning 
with: 

12  12  12  12 

They  fought'  /  the  dogs'  /  and  killed'  /  the  cats, 
clapping  hands  at  2  each  time  and  laying  stress  on 
every  second  syllable. 

15.  Repeat,  beating  time  as  directed  in  13. 

16.  Drill  the  pupils  on  these  exercises,  using  other 
poems  having  the  same  rhythm — two  beats  to  a  meas- 
ure; accent  on  second  beat — as  Stevenson's  *'My  bed 
is  like  a  little  boat,"  Kingsley's  ''Farewell,"  Coleridge's 
"He  prayeth  best  who  loveth  best." 


Language  Culture  in  the  Home  255 

'       MEMORIZING 

FIFTH    YEAR 

For  children  of  seven  or  older,  let  us  take  for  a 
model  lesson  the  first  stanza  from  Browning's  "Pied 
Piper  of  Hamelin." 

"Hamelin  Town's  in  Brunswick, 
By  famous  Hanover  city; 
The  river  Weser,  deep  and  wide, 
Washes  its  wall  on  the  southern  side; 
A  pleasanter  spot  you  never  spied; 
But  when  begins  my  ditty. 
Almost  five  hundred  years  ago. 
To  see  the  townsfolk  suffer  so 
From  vermin,  was  a  pity." 

To  the  mother,  the  geographical  allusions  are  pic- 
turesque but  not  correct,  for  Hamelin  is  not  in  Bruns- 
wick but  in  Hanover,  the  Weser  at  that  point  is  neither 
deep  nor  wide — a  man  could  wade  across — nor  does 
it  wash  the  southern  wall  of  Hamelin,  for  Hamelin  is 
not  a  walled  town.  Do  not,  however,  plague  the  child 
with  such  criticisms  of  poetic  license,  for  at  this  age, 
the  child  takes  no  thought  of  the  poem's  maker. 

In  this  and  all  succeeding  lessons  of  the  course,  the 
mother  should  first  study  the  selection  with  the  aid  of 
a  good  unabridged  dictionary  which  illustrates  with 
quotations  the  meanings  of  words  defined.  In  this 
way  she  enriches  her  own  store  of  learning,  keeps  her 
mind  open  and  fresh  for  exercise,  and  forestalls  the 
danger  of  her  child's  feeling  himself  more  intellectual 
than  she  after  he  enters  school.  Do  not  allow  the  child 
in  speaking  to  you  to  use  "won't"  and  "can't,"  for  he 


256     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher-Mother 

should  be  more  particular  in  talking  to  his  mother  than 
to  others. 

The  instructions  for  memorizing  previously  given 
should  be  applied  to  these  lessons,  with  suitable  enlarge- 
ments. Make  the  pupil  understand  first  what  each 
word  means,  then  what  each  sentence  (not  each  line) 
means,  then  what  the  first  four  lines  mean.  Point  out 
that  the  's  does  not  go  with  town,  but  means  '*is." 

Tozvn,  city,  and  prozince  should  mean  different 
things  to  the  child.  Make  the  meaning  of  the  stanza 
clear  by  sketching  a  rough  plan  with  chalk  on  your 
kitchen  door,  or  with  a  stick  in  the  center  of  the  yard. 
Rub  the  plan  out  and  let  the  child  reproduce  it  from 
memory.  Always  use  a  horizontal  surface  for  such 
lessons  rather  than  a  wall  map,  thus  avoiding  the  pos- 
sibility of  lasting  confusion  in  the  pupil's  mind.  Rivers 
that  climb  heavenward,  oceans  standing  on  edge,  the 
North  Pole  up  and  the  South  Pole  down,  remain  to 
many  troublesome  misconceptions  throughout  life, 
owing  to  the  use  of  maps  shown  in  a  vertical  position. 

Attend  carefully  to  the  vowel  sounds,  the  sounds  of 
the  final  consonants,  and  the  syllabification.  Make  the 
child  speak  from  the  chest  and  not  through  the  nose. 
The  emitted  current  of  air  should  pass  freely  and  unob- 
structed through  the  mouth,  which  will  develop  the 
lungs  better  than  so-called  calisthenics  or  elocution 
exercises. 

In  the  fifth  line,  what  spot  is  meant?  What  does 
spy  mean?  "When  begins  my  ditty"  does  not  mean 
that  the  ditty  was  begun  five  hundred  years  ago,  but 
that  the  story  happened  then,  or  thereabouts.  Question 
about  ditty.    Have  the  pupil  name  ditties  he  has  heard. 

By  means  of  the  seventh  line,  teach  the  child  to  form 


Language  Culture  in  the  Home  257 

some  idea  of  long  periods  of  time,  for  instance,  long 
before  the  discovery  of  America.  "Five  hundred 
years'*  does  not  mean  exactly  five  hundred  years.  Quote 
similar  statements,  as:  **He  has  hundreds  of  friends," 
which  does  not  mean  that  his  friends  have  been  counted. 
A  warning  against  exaggerations  would  be  timely  here. 

Ask  questions  that  make  the  child  think  about  the 
meaning  of  words  and  the  relations  expressed  by  such 
simple  words  as  tOy  from,  away,  towards,  in,  out.  Ask 
the  same  question  in  as  many  different  ways  as  you 
possibly  can,  and  see  that  each  answer  fits  the  new  form 
of  the  question. 

Discourage  the  practice  of  memorizing  without  get- 
ting a  clear  understanding  of  the  meaning  and  force  of 
each  word.  If  you  neglect  careful  word  study  the 
child  may  form  the  habit  of  aimless  reading,  and  what 
he  has  read  will  pass  through  his  mind  as  things  pass 
through  a  sieve,  the  coarse  things  remaining  and  the 
finer  things  escaping. 

Repeat  the  first  line,  pausing  after  each  word,  and 
tell  me  how  many  words  it  contains. 

What  is  the  first  word?  the  fourth?  third?  second? 

Give  the  child  time  to  find  the  correct  answers ;  dis- 
courage hasty  replies.  Teach  him  to  say,  "I  do  not 
know,"  instead  of  guessing.  The  main  purpose  of  this 
exercise  is  to  drill  him  to  think  before  he  speaks.  Do 
not  give  too  many  of  these  drills  in  one  lesson,  but  give 
frequent  short  lessons  of  this  kind. 

Rhyming, 

Make  the  child  find  the  rhyming  words  that  mark  the 
ends  of  eight  lines.  Which  verse  does  not  rhyme  with 
another? 


258     Bookless  Lessons  for  the  Teacher -Mother 

In  connection  with  this  and  numerous  other  lessons 
the  thought  will  suggest  itself  to  the  teacher-mother 
that  such  instruction  could  be  given  with  greater  ease 
and  dispatch  in  connection  with  reading  lessons,  the 
printed  page  being  a  ready  mechanical  aid  to  locating 
verse-endings,  rhyming  words,  monosyllables,  dissyl- 
lables, etc.  All  this  is  true,  but  mind-training  is  simi- 
lar to  muscle-training,  and  it  is  not  mere  instruction, 
or  knowledge,  but  use  that  gives  strength  that  endures 
and  power  that  achieves.  Devise  lessons  that  can  be 
taught  while  the  pupil  stands,  with  his  eyes  on  your 
eyes,  instead  of  glued  to  a  book.  Make  the  lessons 
never  too  hard,  but  hard  enough  so  that  the  child  may 
experience  the  joy  of  attainment. 

Rhythm. 

Make  the  pupil  repeat  the  first  line  and  accent  the 
first  of  each  two  beats,  as  directed  in  "Twinkle,  Twin- 
kle, Little  Star."  The  other  verses,  except  the  fourth 
and  fifth,  have  the  accent  on  the  second  beat,  as  in 
"They  fought  the  dogs  and  killed  the  cats."  Teach 
these  also  as  before  directed. 

Make  the  child  repeat  after  you,  speaking  distinctly, 
slowly  and  evenly,  the  following  succession  of  words : 
Mex^-i-can,  car'-pen-ter,  hoV-i-day,  an^-i-mal,  black^- 
ber-ry,  chat^-ter-ing,  Dec'-a-logue,  sep^-a-rate,  his^- 
to-ry,  W-hra-ry,  cat'-a-logue,  shaf-ter-ing.  Repeat, 
clapping  hands  on  first  syllable  of  each  word.  Count, 
evenly  and  slowly,  one-two-three,  one-two-three,  four 
times.  Repeat,  speaking  one  very  loudly  and  two- 
three  very  softly.  Do  this  "in  time,"  or  rhythmically. 
Repeat,  clapping  hands  on  one.  Beat  triple  time  a 
number  of  times;  hand  motions:  down — to  the  left — 


Language  Culture  in  the  Home  259 

up;  down — to  the  left — up;  and  so  on,  slowly.  Again 
count  one-two-three,  with  the  hand  motions  or  beats, 
several  times.  Always  beat  down  for  the  count  one, 
tapping  the  table  to  accent  it.  Make  the  child  keep 
time  by  counting  your  beats,  and  make  him  beat  time 
also.    Find  verses  written  in  triple  measure : 

"Bird  of  the  /  wil'derness,  /  blithe'some  and  /  cum'ber- 
less,/ 
O !  to  a  /  bide'  in  the  /  des'ert  with  /  thee/." 

Grammar. 

Explain  and  illustrate  to  the  child  that  certain  words 
are  name-words.  Mary  is  a  name  word.  Village  is 
a  name-word.  Ask:  "What  is  your  name?  Your 
brother's  name?"  etc.  "What  is  the  name  of  our  post 
office?"    "Name  some  of  the  things  in  this  room." 

"Name-words  are  called  nouns.  Repeat  the  first 
verse  of  the  poem  and  tell  me  the  name- words,  or 
nouns." 

"The  name- words,  or  nouns,  are  Hamelin,  town, 
Brunswick" 

"Repeat  the  second  verse  and  name  the  nouns."  Con- 
tinue thus  until  the  child  begins  to  recognize  nouns 
without  difficulty.  Then  give  the  definition:  A  noun 
is  the  name  of  a  person,  or  a  place,  or  other  thing. 

Synonyms. 

These  are  words  with  nearly  the  same,  or  a  similar 
meaning ;  as :  town,  city,  village.  Find  synonyms  for : 
famous,  river,  spot,  to  begin,  etc. 


INDEX 


Accuracy,  in   speech,   iii,  216, 

233,  235.  238,  240 
Age,  and  development,  24,  29; 

and  education,  27;  and  habit 

formation,  59 ;  and  play,  141 ; 

and  prayer,  192;  and  religion, 

189 ;  and  sense  training,  99 
Anger,  supression  of,  225 
Animals,    observation    of,    107- 

109;  as  pets,  96,  152 
Appreciation,  cultivation  of,  91 
Army,  mental  tests,  20 
Astronomy,  and  sense  training, 

112 
Attention,  and  play,  136-7 
Attitude,  and  manners,  219 
Authority,  recognition  of,  11-12, 

37,  46 

Backwardness,  mental,  171 -2 
Benefit,  idea  of,  129 
Birds,  observation  of  96-7,  109 
Blackboard,  and  play,  152 
Blocks,  alphabetical,  usefulness, 

lOI 

Body,  and  discipline,  52;  educa- 
tion of,  23 ;  and  habit  forma- 
tion, 59,  75 ;  and  manners,  219 ; 
and  play,  134 

Books,  and  education,  2,  97 

Borrowing,  209 

Brains,  12 

Breathing,  and  speech,  80 

Bubbles,  158 

Building,  as  game,  159-60 

Bulbs,  planting  of,  no 

Buttons,  as  toys,  158 

Character,  formation  of,  40 
Circiunference,    explanation    of 
term,  126 


Commands,  53-4;  and  discipline, 

40-1 ;  and  stubbornness,  71 
Companionship   in  childhood, 

141 -2,  and  play,  144-5 
Comparison,     and     observation, 

115,  118 
Compass,  and  observation,  113 
Composure,  75 
Compulsion,   and   education,   7; 

and  habit  formation,  60;  and 

moral    training,    208;    and 

prayer,   192;   and  work,   175, 

181 
Conscience,  cultivation  of,   190, 

227;    education   of,    23;    and 

morals,  207,  216 
Consistency,  and  discipline,  38 
Contradicting,  correction  of,  69 
Criminality,  4,  19,  20,  185 
Criticism,    by    children,    42-3; 

faculty,  237 
Custom,  and  habit,  60 

Dark,  fear  of.    See  Fear 
Deafness,  85 

Death,  explanation  of,  201 
Deception,  and  lying,  213 
Decisions,  56;  responsibility  of, 

47 
Diameter,  explanation  of  term, 

126 
Diet,  52,  65 
Discipline,  2,  4,  15,  18-20,  35-83; 

and  habit,  58-83 
Docility,  46 
Dolls,  151-2 
Don'ts,  list  of,  56-7 
Drawing,  158 
Dress,  116;  and  play,  147 
Drudgery,  and  work,  177 
Dumbness,  85 


261 


262 


Index 


Duty,  55 ;  and  discipline,  36 ;  and 
work,  164 

Ear,  training  of,  84-5,  107 
Education,   and   books,   3;    and 
habit,  58;  misuse  of  term,  5, 
8 ;  and  religion,  185 ;  and  work, 

172-3 
Effort,  and  work,  166,  169,  179 
Eggs,  educational  value,  96 
Egotism,  77 
Emotions,   cultivation   of,   223; 

education  of,  15 
Enunciation,  78-9,  241;  defects 

in,  81 
Errands,  178 
Evolution,  and  play,  132 
Exaggeration,  and  lying,  215 
Example,  36,  147;  influence  of, 

19;  and  moral  training,  211 
Exercise,  as  play,  147-8 
Experience,  and  reason,  46 
Explanations,  56 

Faculties,  12 

Failure,  and  habit,  20 

Faith,    in   childhood,    188;    and 

morality,  186 
Fastidiousness,  avoidance  of,  64 
Father,  and  discipline,  45;  and 

play,  147      . 
Faults,  correction  of,  64 
Fear,  6;  of  dark,  69 
Feeble-mindedness,  4,  16 
Feeling,  sense  of.    See  Touch 
Fisher,  Sydney  G.,  on  work,  171 
Food.    See  Diet 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  and  moral 

training,  228-9 
Freedom,  and  discipline,  40 
Froebel,  Friedrich,  171 ;  on  re- 
ligious education,  186 
Fruit,  and  observation,  122 

Games,  131-2,  161 

Gardening,  181 ;  and  observation, 

113 
Genius,  4 
Geography,  first  ideas,  160 


Girdling,  125 
God,  and  education,  23 
Golden  Rule,  and  manners,  217 
Grace,  at  meals,  222 
Grammar,  lessons  in,  259 
Gratitude,  cultivation  of,  220-2 
Gymnastics,  and  play,  134 

Habit,  20 ;  and  discipline,  58-83 ; 

and  education,  8;  and  work, 

40,  168 
Happiness,  and  discipline,  39 
Health,  and  discipline,  52;  and 

habit  formation,  76;  and  play, 

134 

Hearing,  sense  of,  84-5,  107 

Heredity,  i,  4,  19,  185 

Hiawatha,  and  observation  les- 
sons, 125 

Home,  and  education,  4-5,  10,  20, 

94 
Honesty,  inculcation  of,  204-7 
Himiility,  cultivation  of,  190 

Ideas,  development  of,  24 

Illness,  and  habits,  75-7 

Imagination,  deterioration  of, 
88;  development  of,  154,  157- 
8;  and  lying,  215;  and  play, 

135 
Imitation,  and  education,  140 
Inclination,   and   will,   60;    and 

work,  164 
Individuality,  and  discipline,  42; 

and  education,  25 
Indolence,  63 ;  correction  of,  229 
Indoor  amusements,  155-6 
Indulgence,  38;  and  diet,  65-6 
Infancy,  and  discipline,  37;  and 

training,  27 
Influence,  moral,  9;  and  moral 

training,  228 
Information,  32;  and  language 

training,  247,  256;  and  obser- 
vation, 115 
Ingenuity,  development  of,  160; 

and  play,  138,  159 
Initiative,  development  of,  160 
Inquisitiveness,    28;    and    sensQ 

training,  99 


Index 


263 


Instinct,  of  animals,  200-1 
Instruction,  child's  right  to,  4 
Intelligence,  and  reasoning,  47; 
and  standardization,  26;  sta- 
tistics, 165;  and  work,  171 
Interest,  and  education,  7,  22; 
and   sense   training,   95;    and 
work,  177 
Interference,  53 
Irreligion,  and  education,  187 

Jones,  Dean,  quoted,  186 
Justice,  and  discipline,  37-8 

Knowledge,  basis  of,  86;  desire 
of,  8;  and  faith,  195;  and 
observation,  86 

Language,  28 ;  accuracy  of,  1 1 1 ; 
cultivation  of,  231-259;  and 
observation,  125-6 ;  and 
thought,  233-4 

Leaves,  and  observation,  120, 127 

Left-handedness,  correction  of, 
68 

Lever,  132 

Life,  perception  of,  137;  valua- 
tion of,  202 

Lisping,  correction  of,  81 

Literature,  love  of,  8 

Lord's  Prayer,  192 

Lying,  209-17 

Manners,  cultivation  of,  217 

Mathematics,  home  teaching,  95 

Meaning,  expression  of,  233 

Measuring,  and  language  train- 
ing, 244;  and  observation,  115, 
119,  126;  and  sense  training, 
III 

Memorizing,  and  language  train- 
ing, 234-5,  237-9,  242;  and 
observation,  115-6, 119-20, 128; 
and  prayer,  192 

Memory,  13 

Men,  as  teachers,  45 

Mental  defectives,  14 

Mercury,  and  sense  training,  112 

Method,  31 


Mimicry,  107 

Mind,   and  body,    18;    develop- 
ment of,  8,  24;  education  of, 
23 ;  and  play,  134 ;  and  senses, 
86 ;  and  sense  training,  98-9 
Modeling,  153 
Montessori,  26 
Moon,  and  observation,  113 
Morality,  and  education,  23 ;  and 
habit,  59;  inculcation  of,  204; 
and  religion,  185,  191 
Morbidity,  avoidance  of,  202 
Morning,  advantages  of,  52 
Mother,  as  educator,  5,  9 
Muscular   sensation,   cultivation 

of,  106 
Mysteries,  belief  in,  198;  incul- 
cation of,  194 

Nail-biting,  correction  of,  67 
Names,    and    observation,    114; 

and  sense  training,  112 
Nap,  63 
Nature,  observation  of,  99;  and 

religious  education,  201-2 
Nervousness,  73 ;  and  nail  biting, 

67 


Obedience,  29,  40,  42,  44,  46, 
53-5 ;  as  habit,  22 ;  and  reason- 
ing, 47;  and  work,  175-6 

Object  lessons,  100,  104 

Observation,  28;  and  education, 
84,  103;  habit  of,  22;  and 
language  training,  244,  247; 
lessons  in,  104 ;  and  play,  140 ; 
and  truth,  210 

Order,  53;  cultivation  of,  229; 
and  habit  formation,  60;  and 
play,  149-SO,  155 

Originality,  development  of,  160 

Our  Father.    See  Lord's  Prayer 

Parents,  as  educators,  11 
Pedagogy,  and  psychology,  22- 

34 
Perfumes,  and  smell,  105 
Persuasion,  and  discipline,  48 


264 


Index 


Pets,  152 ;  educational  value,  96 ; 

and  sense  training,  108 
Physical  defects,  16 
Picture  puzzles,  156 
Plants,    and    observation,    109, 

1 13-4,  128 
Plasticene,  153 
Play,  and  education,  7,  22,  73, 

131-62 
Playhouse,  160;  construction  of, 

150 
Playroom,  149 
Pleasure,  and  habit,  60 
Poetry,  and  language  training, 

237 
Pouting,  correction  of,  71 
Poverty,  and  underdevelopment, 

16 
Prayer,  191 -2 
Precocity,  78 

Prevarication,  and  lying,  214 
Prodigy,  education  of,  13 
Promises,  216 

Pronunciation,  defects  in,  81 
Propriety,  63 
Providence,    Divine,    belief    in, 

193-4 
Psychology,  and  education,  6-7; 

and  pedagogy,  22-34 
Punishment,  37,  42,  48-51;  and 

habit  formation,  60;  and 

moral  training,  205-6,  208 ;  and 

play,  144;  and  speech  defects, 

80-1 

Quarreling,  146 

Questions,  method  of  dealing 
with,  195 

Reading,  for  children,  235;  and 
language  training,  239,  258; 
teaching  of,  25 

Reason,  development  of,  24 ;  edu- 
cation of,  29 

Reasoning,  56;  and  knowledge, 
85;  and  obedience,  46;  and 
observation,  97 

Regularity,  53;  domestic,  37; 
and  habit  formation,  60;  and 


nervousness,  73;  and  play, 
149-50 

Religion,  and  conscience,  207; 
education  in,  22;  and  educa- 
tion, 23,  185 ;  and  moral  train- 
ing, 225-7 

Repetition,  and  language  train- 
ing, 237 ;  and  observation,  129 ; 
and  play,  162 

Respect,  218 

Responsibility,  and  habit  for- 
mation, 61 ;  sense  of,  152,  168 

Retarded    development,    causes, 

14 
Reverence,   cultivation  of,   187, 

203;  habit  of,  22 
Rhyme,  lessons  in,  252,  257 
Rhythm,  lessons  in  251,  258-9; 

notion  of,  85 
Righteousness,  and  heredity,  19 

Sand,  as  plaything,  137 

Scale,  and  observation,  112 

Schedule,  daily,  62 

School,  and  education,  5;  and 
habit  formation,  59 

Science,  and  sense  training,  87 

Scolding,  56 

Scrapbook,  156-7 

Secrecy,  217 

Seesaw,  13 1-2 

Self -consciousness,  77 ;  avoid- 
ance of,  74,  223 

Self-control,  29;  cultivation  of, 
226;  and  discipline,  35,  37; 
and  manners,  220;  and  nerv- 
ousness, 75 ;  and  speech,  80 

Self-denial,  39 

Senses,  education  of,  22,  24,  84; 
training  of,  28,  105;  training 
of  rules,  114-30 

Sewing,  181 -2 

Sewing  cards,  153,  181 

Shadow  pictures,  159 

Sight,  sense  of,  85;  training, 
109 

Slovenliness,  63 

Smell,  sense  of ,  84-5;  training, 
105 


Index 


265 


Solitude,  advantages  of,  142 

Soul,  and  body,  23 

Sound,  analysis  of,  243-6;  in 
speech,  82 

Speech,  defects,  79-83;  educa- 
tion of,  78;  manner  of,  79 

Spelling,  and  enunciation,  241 ; 
and  language  training,  239 

Stammering,  correction  of,  79 

Standardization,  14,  25 ;  and  edu- 
cation, 89 

Standing,  219 

Stars,  and  observation,  112 

Stubbornness,  correction  of,  71 

"Studevan's  Omadhaun,"  172 

Stuttering,  correction  of,  81 

Subnormality,  14-16 

Supervision,  of  play,  146-7;  of 
work,  180 

Switching,  as  punishment,  49,  51 

Synonyms,  259 

Talkativeness,  correction  of,  229- 

30 
Tasks,  selection  of,  176-8,  183 
Teasing,  72 
Temper,  cure  of,  68 
Temptation,  and  moral  training, 

208 
Thermometer,   and   observation, 

112 
Thoroughness,  180;  habit  of,  64 
Thought,  and  language,  233-4; 

and  observation,  88 
Threats,  and  moral  training,  212 
Throwing,  159 
Thumb-sucking,    correction    of. 

Timidity,  and  lying,  211 


Tools,  use  of,  97 
Touch,  sense  of,  84,  105 
Toys,  135-40 

Trees,  growth,  30;  and  observa- 
tion, no,  115-29 
Truth,  definition,  209 

Understanding,  55;  and  disci- 
pline, 45-6;  and  observation, 
118 

Unselfishness,  cultivation  of,  222 

Uprightness,  and  education,  8 

Use,  idea  of,  129 

Vegetables,  observation  of,  no 
Vocabulary,  28,  233,  240;  culti- 
vation of,  230 ;  and  education, 
23 
Voice,  use  of,  79,  241 
Voltaire,  on  religion,  187 
Volubility,  79 

Wastefulness,  correction  of,  229 
Wealth,  and  underdevelopment, 

16 
Weight,  estimation  of,  106 
Whining,  correction  of,  70-1 
Will,  and  discipline,  37;  educa- 
tion of,  15;  and  habit,  60;  and 
nervousness,  74 
Word-study,  and  language  train- 
ing, 235,  239,  256-7 
Words,  clipping  of,  78 
Work,  40,    163-84;   and  educa- 
tion, 7,  74;  habit  of,  22;  and 
habit  formation,  61 ;  and  ob- 
servation, 97;  and  play,   134, 
140 
Wriggling,  74 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETTURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  50  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.00  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


NOV  a?  1935 

v.^^*^^^ 

t,W 

=      3Apr52U 

m  3'69-UAM 

LD  21-100?n-7,'c 

: —\ 


5045^/ 


/" 


''  ^6.3 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


